One more crushed to death by a rogue tusker

Hardwar June 9 (UNI) The elephants are on a killing spree in the Laldhang forest range under Shyampur police station of the district.

Ummed Singh of the village Naya Gaon, was yesterday crushed to death by a rogue tusker.

Sources said the forest personnel, who rushed to the spot, had to fire five rounds of gun shots in the air to drive away the wide animal into the forest.

The irate villagers blocked the Hardwar-Moradabad national highway for many hours and lifted the jam only after the forest authorities assured them that steps would be taken to prevent the elephants from straying out of the forest into the adjoining colonies and villages.

The chief wildlife warden of the state, Shrikant Chandola, who inspected the spot,said solar fencing would be erected to prevent the pachyderms from entering the villages.

A patrol party, with digital cameras, would be set up and trap cameras would also be installed to keep a watch on the movements of these roaming giants, he added.

Only two days ago the infuriated tusker had trampled three children to death and injured eight others in the same village.

tension prevailed in the villages on the fringe of the Landhang, Shyampur&Chidyapur forest ranges.

Sources said during the current year more than a dozen persons, mostly women and children, had fallen victims to the wrath of the tuskers in the region.

The wildlife scientists of the Gurukul Kangri University, Hardwar said that due to increasing human intervention, resulting in the shrinking and fragmentation of the natural habitats of the elephants, the shortage of fodder and drying up of the water points in the forests force the elephants to come out into the adjoining villages.

The head of the department of environmental sciences in the university and a noted wildlife expert, Dr B D Joshi told UNI that during recent years the elephants in the region had been showing abnormal and violent behaviour.

"It is mating season for the elephants. The people should take special care of their safety at this time when the tuskers particularly become ferocious.", added Dr Joshi.

UNI