Kurseong foresters face threat from elephants

DEBASISH SARKAR
LAMAGOMBA, Kurseong: It was a spine chilling experience to watch more than 30 trumpeting wild elephants, including a number of tuskers from a distance of 100 metres, with only the presence of a few highly-skilled forest officials by one’s side to bolster one’s confidence.
From Lamagomba forest, 20 km from Siliguri under Bamanpokhri range of Kurseong forest divsion, the herd, strategically confined there by forest department personnel since July 19, was trying to move westward towards Mechi River near the Indo Nepal border to take their usual migratory route.
The forest guards, on the other hand, were trying to push them back to the Mahananda wildlife sanctuary.
The Lamagomba forest, with the Kurseong hills in the north, has the Army 33 Corps HQ of Sukna to its South. On the west is the busy Pankhabari Road, the second most im-portant connector to the Darjeeling Hills.
Working round the clock, daredevil officials and workers of the Kurseong forest division have successfully managed to keep the huge herd confined to one place, refraining it from moving towards Nepal through their usual route.
The herd came out of the adjoining Mahananda sanctuary on July 19 by breaking electric fencing, informed forest officials. The foresters are now gradually pushing the herd back east towards the Mahananda core area again.
According to Bamanpokhri range officer M. Ghosh, who is camping at the location, oc-casionally, the migratory herd of more than 30 elephants comes to Mahananda from Assam via the Dooars forests.
From there, after crossing the ranges of the Kurseong forest division, it moves westward towards Nepal via Bagdogra and Naxalbari. “This migration is due to their century old inherent habit developed over several generations, not because of any shortage of food,� he said.
“Normally we allow the herds to move towards Nepal, but due to the presence of nu-merous villages and slums on the migratory route, manelephant conflict in these areas has become a common thing, leading to loss of life and crops,� said Ghosh.
Last month, a single elephant had killed 13 persons in the area. “For the first time, we have taken the decision to block their westward movement and confine them to the eastern ranges of Kurseong forest division or Mahananda sanctuary which are still rich in food,� explained Ghosh.
“If things go well, by next week, we will be able to push them back to Mahananda� he added.