Jumbos go on rampage in West Bengal tea estate

Chengmari (West Bengal), July 25 (ANI): A herd of elephants strayed into a tea estate at Chengmari in Dooars region of West Bengal.

It was a herd of 15 elephants, including three tuskers and seven young ones.

The herd went berserk for a couple of hours, damaging a part of the tea gardens, which is close to the Binaguri Range of Diana forest in Jalpaiguri district.

Soon, the wildlife rangers emerged on the scene and they too found it to be a tough task to chase the pachyderms back into the Diana forest. Nonetheless, they managed to divert the herd into the jungles.

Experts have repeatedly opined that massive deforestation, poaching and people encroaching upon forest corridors have forced the elephants to move out of their natural habitats in search of food and water.

India has over 50 per cent of Asiatic elephants, considered to be among the most intelligent animals but its population has dwindled over the recent years. (ANI)