In a desperate bid to prevent further tragedies, the Ramgarh district administration has issued a crucial advisory to residents in vulnerable areas: keep red chilli powder ready to burn and create a pungent smoke barrier against wild elephants. This urgent measure follows a horrific week where six people were trampled to death by marauding elephant herds, plunging several villages into a state of fear.
Villages Turn to Traditional Deterrents Amid Rising Fear
The call to action comes after a series of fatal incidents. The terror began earlier this week when Kajal Devi, a 32-year-old brick kiln labourer, was killed in Kundru-Saraiya village. She had stepped out of her hut during dense fog and did not see the approaching elephants. This tragedy set off a chain of panic, with five more individuals losing their lives in separate attacks across the district.
Heeding the advice of forest officials, villagers have now taken matters into their own hands. Residents like Pannalal Mahto from Kundru-Saraiya have begun burning red chilli at village entry points and near homes, especially during the evening and night. "I have started burning chilli to protect the village from elephants and encouraged others to do so," Mahto stated. Alongside this, villagers are prepared to use traditional drums and firecrackers to scare away the tuskers, creating a multi-pronged defence strategy.
Forest Department and Quick Response Teams on High Alert
The forest department is complementing these local efforts with coordinated vigilance. Ramgarh forest range officer Bateshwar Paswan confirmed that five Quick Response Teams (QRTs) are actively monitoring the situation. These teams are equipped with burning torches, high-power flashlights, drums, and firecrackers to track and deter elephant movements. "No reports of fresh movement of the jumbos have been received till now. We think that the herds are hiding in the forest and are likely to move at night," Paswan explained, highlighting the nocturnal threat.
To aid surveillance, the forest department has distributed flashlights to affected villages. Youths are keeping watch from rooftops, scanning the darkness for any signs of the giant mammals. This community-led vigilance is a critical layer of the district's response plan.
Tracking the Herds: Recent Movements and Challenges
The scale of the challenge was evident just last Saturday when 36 elephants were spotted moving in various herds across the district. In a significant operation, a large herd of 18 elephants was successfully driven away towards the Kankebar and Masmohana forest areas. This herd has already crossed the highway in the Chutupalu valley, indicating their wide-ranging and unpredictable movements.
The administration's alert underscores the severe human-elephant conflict in the region, exacerbated by factors like habitat encroachment and seasonal fog that reduces visibility. The combination of traditional knowledge, like chilli burns, with modern vigilance and rapid response teams represents the district's comprehensive strategy to safeguard lives while managing the movement of these protected animals.
