The Bhutanese Leading the way.
A 62-year-old woman was killed by a lone tusker elephant at around 12:30 am on 4 June 2021 in Tintaley, Lhamoizingkha Dungkhag, Dagana. The incident was reported to police at around 1 am. The woman succumbed to her injuries when the medical team reached the place of occurrence.
Police said that the deceased was at her neighbor’s place for a dinner when they heard an elephant tearing down the jackfruits. The deceased had then stepped out of her friend’s house to go and safeguard her own house against the elephant, and that is the time when the tusker elephant caught up with her and attacked her.
It was learnt that the deceased’s left thigh was broken with major cut injuries around the groin area causing excessive bleeding. The same night, a few acres of nut trees were also damaged.
Meanwhile, Lhamoizingkha Gup Surja Bdr Limboo shared that human-wildlife conflict is always an issue, whereby there has not been any viable solution to address it. Though there were a number of cases of crops loss to wildlife, this is the first time that an elephant took a human life in the dungkhag.
“We have installed electric fencing, however, that is not sufficient to stop the wildlife from harming the settlement. The fencing gets rusted with time, whereby it stops working. So it is challenging, but we are still trying to manage things,” he added.
Drungpa Kinley Dorji, Lhamoizingkha Dungkhag, said that the situation is challenging and with no preventive measures to curb the problem. He said, “Elephants attack when we chase them or if we use anything to stop them from coming. If we let them go on about their own ways then they leave without causing any physical harm to people, but still then they cause damage to settlements and crops.”
There was an incident earlier when a person placed on duty at one of the Point of Entries was attacked by an elephant. However, he survived the attack with some minor injuries. The Gup added that there is no scheme to pay compensation to the affected family for any loss or injuries caused by human-wildlife conflict.
Class PP student heard that A 62-year-old woman was killed by a lone tusker elephant. Student thought, she is some one’s mother and she is missed by her son or daughter like me. This boy happened to meet Forest Ranger. He thought thsat Forest Ranger are owner of Forest and they must have solution. So he began to ask some immature questions to highly qualified Ranger (Student Notion).
Class PP student ask the stranger Ranger: Why Wild animal kill domestic human?
Ranger Replied: Wild animal inside the wild forest belong to forest – the animal home. But student said, so what she has not gone to forest even then elephant kill her, why?
Ranger replied: Because human has cut down the big and small trees and destroyed animal home to make their home. That’s why elephant killed people.
Class PP Student asked second question: If animal are killed by the human, forest arrest the human but if wild animal kill human then who arrest the animal?
Ranger Said: No Body because there is no animal police and no animal forest.
Class PP student said: Then who are you? Why are you arresting the people when they killed wild animal. Did animal complain to you?
Ranger Replied: I am forest ranger and our duty is to protect the forest and preserve animal. Government give us power to do so.
Sadly Class PP Student shares his thought: there is no justice over the person killed by animal may be little compensation but life lost is never gain again. And again Ranger said, “People has damage the forest (home of Animal) that’s why animal are doing such harassment as revenge”. What you said is right sir said the student. Then added the Class PP student, “If government can’t solve the issues than better make 100% coverage of forest keeping the wild animals instead of doing human development” let all animal kill our people and let government live alone in the middle of the 100% forest. So PP Student was unsatisfied with the unresolved issues.