Woman killed, 7 injured in separate elephant attacks

Dibrugarh: Amid escalating man-elephant conflicts in the state, a 31-year-old woman was killed by wild elephants near the Koilamari Tea Estate in Lakhimpur district. In a separate incident, seven women tea garden workers were injured after being attacked by a wild elephant in Dibrugarh district's Naharkatia area on Wednesday. Lakhimpur district forest officials said the victim, Keshari Bhuyan, along with four co-workers, was collecting dry firewood for cooking near the Kakoi reserve forest when they encountered a herd of wild elephants. While her companions managed to escape, Bhuyan was trampled by the herd. The incident occurred despite the presence of warning signs throughout the tea estate marking it as an "Elephant Corridor", indicating the regular movement of wild elephants in the area. The Koilamari tea estate's proximity to the Kakoi reserve forest has made such encounters a persistent concern for local residents and workers. "This is not the first time we've witnessed such conflicts in our area. There have been several incidents in the past where people have been injured due to elephant encounters," said Bikash Tanti, a worker of Koilamari tea estate. The second incident in Dibrugarh district occurred when a group of 17 workers from Tipam Tea Estate, situated adjacent to the Tipam hills, were walking to their work site for their routine morning duties. They were caught off guard when a wild elephant charged at them from behind. While the male workers managed to escape, seven female workers sustained injuries in the attack. The victims have been identified as Rashmi Gowala, Mamoni Gowala, Shilpi Bhuyan, Jaya Bawri, Sonali Gowala, Rupali Hazda, and Bobita Bhuyan. Four of the workers suffered severe injuries, including fractures to their legs and hands, while three others escaped with lesser injuries. Forest department officials, who responded to the incident, confirmed that all injured workers were immediately transported to the Naharkatia civil hospital for treatment. The forest department has assured full medical support for the injured workers. "We are monitoring the situation closely and have initiated measures to track the elephant's movement in the area," a forest official said. Speaking about the incident, Mamoni Gowala, who was injured in the attack, said, "We had no warning. The elephant suddenly appeared and attacked us from behind while we were walking along the road." The Tipam Tea Estate's proximity to the Tipam hills, a known elephant habitat, makes workers particularly vulnerable to such encounters. The two incidents have brought attention to the increasing instances of human-elephant conflicts in Assam's tea garden areas, where human settlements often intersect with elephant corridors. Tea estates in Assam often border forest areas, creating inevitable overlap between human settlements and elephant territories. This proximity has led to numerous instances of human-elephant conflict, particularly during periods when elephants venture out of their natural habitat in search of food or due to habitat loss. "We constantly advise residents to remain vigilant, especially when venturing near forest boundaries. The warning signs are placed strategically to alert people about potential elephant movement, but sometimes unavoidable circumstances lead to such unfortunate incidents," a forest official said.