Marauding elephants create panic in Majuli

A herd of over 100 marauding wild elephants created panic in over 15 riverside villages in Assam's Majuli island destroying and consuming paddy plants and attacking domestic cattle in Majuli island.
The elephants were on a rampage from Haldhibari in Upper Majuli to Halmora in Northern Lower Majuli giving residents of many villages in the midst of Brahmaputra river sleepless nights, said Majuli Forest Beat Officer Atul Das today.
The Forest official said this herd, that has been terrorising the river side villages since the year 2000, recently broke open six paddy granaries and destroyed property and vegetable crops in villages like Ratanpur, Bogoriguri, Chinatoli, Grazing Koibotra, Colonibari and Meragorh.

The eight forest department employees deputed at Majuli have been making all efforts to deal with the huge herd of elephants and it has become an uphill task to reach far flung areas traveling either by horse or elephant, he added.
For most of the villages near the river in the over 350 sq km island has become a paradise for stray elephants, wild buffaloes, monkey and leopards which cause fear psychosis among the people, the official said.