An elephant, which has pulled down homes in different villages and also wiped out foodstock, is giving sleepless nights to foresters of Chandil range of the adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district.

The tusker is part of a herd but stays aloof from it. The herd is presently stationed around the Chandil dam. However, the tusker is in the jungles near Chowka village of the Chandil sub-division.

Chandil foresters are patrolling the area to drive away the elephant. A QRT (Quick Response Team) from Chakulia forest range has been called to keep the tusker at bay from villages and hamlets.

Chandil range officer Ashok Kumar said serious efforts were being made to drive away the elephant from the past two days. “Some of our forest workers were down with Covid and have now recovered. They have become weak to patrol the area. It is not easy to chase and drive away elephants. But we are trying our best and have called a QRT from the Chakulia forest range,” he added.

Speaking to The Telegraph Online, the range officer blamed the villagers for the elephant menace. “We have distributed crackers and specifically asked the villagers to burst them only if the tusker nears their home. But the villagers are not listening and burst the crackers whenever they spot the tusker. This irritates the elephant and forces him to attack homes and wipe out foodstock,” Kumar added.

According to him, they have told villagers that the elephant would go on its own and teasing it would not solve the problem. “The tusker doesn’t stay with a herd. It remains aloof. The herd has come from Tamar jungles,” Kumar informed.

According to a forester, it has pulled down homes of fishermen residing at Chowka and Adardih villages under the Kukru block. “Besides the elephant, the herd has also attacked homes and wiped out foodstock. A woman who was injured when her thatched hut was attacked has been accommodated at a government school. Some children and men have also been injured,” he added. The elephant has damaged around a dozen homes.

The foresters are keeping a watch over the movement of the herd stationed near Chandil dam. Efforts are being to keep them at bay from paddy farms

The Chandil forest range is the favourite for elephants from Tamar, Seraikela-Kharsawan and neighbouring Bengal. The herds often slip into the range and damage standing paddy, destroy homes and wipe out food.