Locals terrorized after elephants start entering villages

Locals are compelled to spend the night without sleep after a herd of elephants started entering Bharaul and Nadaha of Barahakshetra municipality in Sunsari district.

The villagers are terrorized after a herd of more than 20 elephants started entering the villages. A local Mahendra Karki said the elephants stay in Nadaha’s jungle in the daytime and destroy crops after entering the village in the evening.

The pachyderms have been damaging fruits and banana farming as well as other crops, shared Nir Kumar Karki of Bharaul. A herd of elephants has been entering the villages from the nearby Charkose jungle every day for the past 15 days.

People used to stay in a group fearing that elephants might attack them. Ward Chairperson of Barahakshetra municipality-3, Rajdeep Lama, mentioned that elephants have been creating trouble at Chatara, Nadaha, Bisal Chowk, and Simarban areas of Barahakshetra 1, 2, 3 and 5. The elephants destroyed two houses in ward no 3 of the municipality.

The area with a dense population is close to the jungle. Kalindra Community Forest Users Group of the Nadaha area has been driving away the elephants by blowing sirens. Mayor Ramesh Karki said the municipality would provide relief to the house owners whose houses were destroyed by elephants.