Jumbo problem: Wild elephants destroy areca plantation in Nagaland’s Loakkun village

Our Reporter
Dimapur, Jan. 15 (EMN):  Farmers of Loakkun and Tingalibam (Sakho) villages under Tizit sub-division in Mon district are said to be having a hard time as wild elephants continue to stray into their farms and destroy their plantations.

On Friday night (January 14) and early hours of Saturday, a herd of wild elephants destroyed a vast area of areca plantations and ransacked farm houses belonging to the farmers of Loakkun village.

As many as 13 families had incurred losses worth approximately INR 50 lakh due to the damage caused by the tuskers on Friday night, as per the Loakkun Village Council.

The elephant menace is said to be on the rise in both the villages, which share borders with Assam state.

Loakkun Village Council told Eastern Mirror that it (Friday night rampage) was not the first incident of elephants destroying the plantations of farmers. Several paddy fields were completely destroyed by a herd of jumbos in December last year as well, it added.

‘It (elephant rampage) has happened several times but the government has neither responded in any manner to stop it nor compensating (the farmers) for the losses. The Forest department, whenever we alert them, respond and reach the spot but to take photos and leave,’ the village council claimed.

‘The losses are huge and we cannot restrain the elephants as we are not trained to do so, or to attack them or cause them harm as it would not be the right thing to do,’ lamented a former student leader from the village.

The village council said that a vast area of farmland in Tingalibam (Sakho) village was destroyed last year too, though no damage has been reported in the area this year.

With recurring incidents of elephants destroying the plantations and property of the farmers, especially during the winter season, the village council has appealed to the state government and the Forest department to act against the menace.

It further requested the Forest department to take up measures to stop the elephants from entering the villages.

The Forest department of Tizit sub-division could not be reached when this newspaper tried to contact the office.