EMN
Dimapur, December 27
Villagers of new Wokha village in Wokha district are being trebled by wild elephants that have found a home in the vicinity of the population. Houses have been destroyed while crops have been damaged by the elephants for some time now, reports on Saturday from the province stated.
According to the reports from the community leaders of new Wokha village, jhum cultivation has also been affected. The elephants have been in the area for centuries but thanks to deforestation, the pachyderms are now emerging onto lands where people live, in search of food, a leader of the village’s council informed on Saturday.
Chairman of the council Khyolamo Humtsoe said that a herd of wild elephants numbering about 45-50 have been grazing in new Wokha village for the past two weeks. “The wild giants have been in the area since many centuries but due to extreme deforestation and jhum cultivation by the neighboring villages they have started to enter the new Wokha village area in search of food as the village have reduced jhuming to a great extend,” the local leader informed.
So far, the council stated, the wild elephants have destroyed two houses belonging to two villagers Chilow Kithan and Yingao Murry. The animals have also destroyed a number of banana and passion fruit farms belonging to the villagers. Fortunately for now though, there are no human casualties, the council said.
“Volunteers from the village have been on vigil particularly for the past two nights as the herds come out to the village only at night. The village is built along the Wokha to Mokokchung National Highway (NH61). Therefore, travelers are advised to be careful and as far as possible avoid travelling at night, reports says the wild giants comes out even to the highway specially at night,” the council advised in caution.
The council noted the growing threat of the elephants on human habitat. The village’s authority has appealed to the government departments in concern to ‘arrange competent measures’ for the safety of the citizens and their farms. The villagers depend primarily on agriculture and horticulture produce, the council said.
“The village authority also expresses its gratitude to the Wokha District Chamber of Commerce & Industries, Wokha village council, the district administration, the forest department, the media persons and well wishers for their support in cash and in kind during this troubled times,” the council added.
