AGARTALA, August 13 (TIWN): In the wake of the recent elephant attacks on human habitat, the residents of Gandhari area at Udaipur-Amarpur road took measures to stop the elephants from entering into the residential areas.

Wild elephant often descend to the villages in the periphery of the Gandhari village in search of water and food and end up destroying paddy fields and food stock. Few people were even trampled to death in the last few months when they came in way of their raids.

To protect the village and the paddy fields from the attack of elephants the tribal residents of the areas have prepared a temporary bamboo made tree house to guard the areas.

In the past three years, at least five villagers were trampled to death by wild elephants in different tribal hamlets under Teliamura Forest Division comprising five Forest Ranges. The herd of jumbos have also destroyed crops covering several acres were destroyed in these localites, according to official sources.

It is to be mentioned here that the state Forest Department has chalked out a plan to start two elephant conservation reserves in an attempt to evade further man-animal conflict in the rural hamlets.

One of the two proposed elephant reserves is expected to come up at Gandhari area near Udaipur city in Gomati district. The other would be started in the Atharomura ranges between Ambassa and Teliamura sub-divisions. 

The elephants are very sensitive to interference in their movement. The herds which move with their calves are more dangerous. They react ferociously when they perceive any danger to their lives by the villagers.