Elephants damage houses, crops in NGH

SHILLONG, Dec 29: A herd of elephants went on a rampage damaging two houses and crops at Baksalpara village in North Garo Hills late Tuesday night, forest officials said However, no loss of human life or injuries were reported, the forest official said.
A forest official said that the incident occurred at around 11:30 PM after a herd of 30 wild elephants passed through Baksalpara village under Kharkutta assembly constituency from Dudhnoi area under Assam’s Goalpara district. “We have assessed the damage and taken details of the people who have been affected. The elephants have moved out of the area and gone to the nearby village. We are currently monitoring the situation,” Wildlife ranger, Annie Valentina Ch. Marak, said.
Experts said wild elephants are moving out of the jungles as people encroach upon animal corridors, leading to an increasing number of elephant attacks on villages. The total population of Asiatic elephants in Meghalaya is estimated at 1,754 according to a wildlife census in 2017. (UNI)