A 53-year-old resident of a village on the fringes of the Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Alipurduar died from a suspected elephant attack on Friday.

Sources said Gunjaman Rava of Dakshin Paro village had gone to a stream in the Garam forest beat area of the BTR on Friday for fishing.

He, however, didn't return home. On Saturday morning, when forest guards were out on routine patrolling, they found his body and sent it to the district hospital in Alipurduar for a post-mortem. Preliminary signs indicated death from an elephant attack.

The incident occurred within three days of three elderly women losing their lives in an elephant attack in Chilapata forest of the district. They had entered the forest area to collect firewood.

“It is an unfortunate incident. Time and again, we are alerting residents in villages and tea estates on the fringes of reserve forests and wildlife habitats that they should not enter forest areas by risking their lives. Yet, many people enter the forests on some errand or the other,” said Harikrsihnan P.J., the deputy field director of BTR (west division).

Herd damages crops

In Jalpaiguri, wild elephants damaged houses and crops in Matiali and Dhupguri blocks.

On Saturday morning, a wild elephant from the Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary crossed the Murti river and entered the Kilkot tea estate in the Matiali block. It damaged the houses of Aman Oraon, Sahil Oraon, Karan Munda and Rajni Oraon in the Kunj labour line area of the garden. Workers and their families fled their homes to safer places.

After a couple of hours, the elephant headed towards Mahabari-Deopani Busty, a neighbouring locality. There, it damaged four other houses.

The affected residents alleged that the state forest department could do more to prevent elephant attacks. “We want the department to regularly patrol the garden and surrounding areas,” said a resident of Kilkot.

Foresters said that whenever they receive information, they rush to the spot to steer the elephants to the forest.

In Dhupguri block, a herd of 15 to 20 elephants entered the Kazipara and Barhalia of Gadang 1 and Gadang II gram panchayats on Friday night. The herd crossed the river Dudua from the Sonakhali forest and moved into the adjoining Falakata block of Alipurduar district.

The herd damaged crops, including potatoes and other vegetables ready for harvest, along their route.

In Falakata, crops were damaged in places like Malsagaon, Pramodnagar, Notahara and Guabarnagar.

Later, the elephants headed towards Dalgaon forest through the Tasati tea estate of Alipurduar.

“We are worried about our own safety and that of our crops and homes,” said a villager of Kazipara.