GAIGHAT, OCTOBER 6
Locals of Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve Centre and its surroundings felt relieved after the wild elephant - Mukuna - was electrocuted. Makuna was found dead in the human settlement in Belka Municipality, Udayapur, some days ago.
Mukuna used to enter human settlements and destroy seasonal crops every year. A group of six wild elephant had entered the human settlements in the buffer zone and killed 20 people last year. Of them, seven were from Udayapur. The wild elephants destroyed property and also killed people in Gaighat. They had come to Gaighat through Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve Centre.
Belka Municipality had set up electric fence after the wild tuskers destroyed the crops and even attacked human at Rampur, Tapeshwori and Bhagalpur two years ago. A staff at the municipality Gopal Niroula said that the municipality had spent a huge amount of money to keep people safe from the wild tuskers. "Electric fence was set up to protect he people from attacks," he added. He said the locals were notified not to come out of their house at night as the elephants were more active at night.
Former people's representative of Tapeshwori Village Dilli Bimali said the villagers felt relieved after the death of the elephant even though it was sad news. The wild elephants have troubled the people for many years. They have also destroyed the houses and seasonal crops. Conservation Officer Ashok Kumar Ram of the reserve centre said that the office had started investigation into the case. He added that no evidence had been found to prove that the elephant was electrocuted. He said that Mukuna was found dead some 800 metres away from the conservation centre.
A version of this article appears in the print on October 7, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
