Olifanten doden twee inwoners Udalguri district (India)

2 trampled to death in Udalguri dist

15-02-2010 Correspondent, The Assam Tribune, India


KALAIGAON, Feb 15 – In two separate incidents, two persons, including a lady, were killed by wild elephants recently. According to information a female named Lucia Sona (48), wife of Jotish Suria was killed by a wild elephant at section No 17 of Koramore TE, under Harisinga Police outpost on February 10 at 11 am.

In the other incident, one Sabin Baro (50) was killed at No. 1 Tankibasti, under Dimakuchi police outpost at 6 pm on the same day. In both the cases the victims had ventured into deep jungle for collecting firewood, as told by a few villagers.

The so-called man-elephant conflict had scaled down, as the herd of wild elephants had moved into deep jungles except one or two. Ananta Bagh, CEO of Green Valley Forest and Wildlife Protection Society (an Udalguri-based NGO working for conservation of flora and fauna) told this correspondent that during dry seasons most of the wild elephant move deep inside forest jungles. But tea garden labour too ventured into forest jungles either for collecting firewood or to hunt small animals or birds. He said that loss of human lives could have been averted if forest, WWF and tea garden authorities had vitiated preventive measures by informing villagers not to venture into forest jungles.

(Bron: http://www.assamtribune.com/)