Over 35 jumbos from Nepal destroy cane, solar fencing in Kheri

Pilibhit: A herd of over 35 wild elephants from Nepal strayed into UP's Kheri district, allegedly trampling 10 acres of sugarcane and around four acres of banana crop in Bhagwant Nagar and Gulara villages near Majhgai forest range of North Kheri forest division – a buffer zone of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR).Officials said the menace of the jumbos continued on Monday and Tuesday nights, affecting around 70-80 farmers from the two villages and causing heavy financial losses. "The sugarcane was the seed nursery grown for the forthcoming spring sowing season. I have no choice left but to purchase fresh seeds from the market," said Jagtar Singh, a farmer from Chaukhara Farm.Range officer Ankit Singh said a km-long stretch of solar fencing was also found to be damaged. "The elephants had arrived on their annual transboundary migration from Shuklaphanta National Park in Nepal via Gauriphanta village during the post-monsoon season. But contrary to their routine retreat to their native habitats in Nov, they continued staying in the buffer zone," he said.DTR field director H Rajamohan said that forest teams have been burning crackers as well as wheat straw mixed with chilli to restrain the jumbos from entering the cropped fields. However, the tuskers changed their path each time in search of fresh cropped fields.Officials said that farmers in Nepal have allegedly installed electric live fencing in their agricultural fields and are also applying loud drum beats to ward off the elephants as they retreat to their native habitats. Farmers claimed that sensing a threat to their lives in Nepal, the jumbos preferred to remain in DTR where it is safe and abundant with amenities such as shelter, food and drinking water.Notably, on Dec 5, a 60-year-old farmer from Bhagwant Nagar village was killed by an elephant while he was guarding the wheat crop of another farmer from the same village.