Sonepur (Bihar), November 21:

Elephant dung is selling like hot cake at the famous annual cattle fair here for use as a mosquito repellent and also fuel.

The efficacy of the dung as a mosquito repellent has made it much sought after at the fair, 35 km from state capital Patna. “There is great demand for the dung,” Arvind Singh, owner of an elephant said. He said villagers buy it to use as mosquito repellent. When burnt, its smoke is a killer of mosquitoes.

“It is the cheapest mosquito repellent. Like herbal medicines, it has no side effect,” said Maheshwar Rai, a farmer who bought five kg for Rs 20. Rai said he would use the dung “to save my family and half a dozen cows from the mosquito menace, which becomes severe in early winter”.

Another buyer, Satyendra Mahato of neighbouring Vaishali district, said elephant dung was more effective than any other mosquito repellent available in the market. “Ten kilos of elephant dung is enough for my family to get rid of mosquitoes and keep us warm on winter nights.” Akhilesh Kumar, the mahout (caretaker) of an elephant, said he collects the dung every night and sells it in the day. “It’s business,” he added.

Mithilesh Kumar, a forest department official, said demand for elephant dung was far higher this year. “Earlier, some buyers who used to take it away at throwaway prices,” he added.

Over 70 elephants are at the fair this year. They are brought here for show as their sale at the fair is banned under wildlife protection laws, said another forest department official CP Khanduja.

Elephants are big attractions at the fair, especially for tourists. But there are unofficial reports that elephants are bought and sold at the fair in the garb of gifting them.

The nearly-month-long fair, spread across 500 acres near the confluence of two rivers — the Ganga and the Gandak — has been held every year for centuries.

The fair, which begins on the auspicious Kartiki Purnima day, is perhaps the only one of its kind in the entire sub-continent where many birds and animals like parrots, eagles, elephants,

horses, sheep, goats and buffaloes are bought and sold.