One arrested for ‘provoking’ wild tusker with JCB crane at West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri
The Hindu
Man arrested for provoking wild tusker in North Bengal, sparking human-elephant conflict; highlights ongoing issue of human-elephant conflict in region.
One man has been arrested by the police for allegedly provoking a wild tusker in Malbazar in North Bengal’s Jalpaiguri, after videos surfaced of a conflict between the elephant and locals on Sunday.
According to West Bengal’s Chief Wildlife Warden Debal Ray, the accused was arrested for allegedly provoking and attacking the elephant with a JCB crane.
“The driver has been arrested and the JCB has been seized,” Mr. Ray told The Hindu. He added that the elephant had been released into the wild.
Reportedly, the tusker from the Apalchand forest had ventured into the Damdim area of Malbazar while the JCB machine was engaged in digging the ground. In videos that went viral online, the tusker could be seen being chased by the JCB machine. It charged at it and at a watchtower-like concrete structure, after being aggravated by locals.
The arrest of the JCB driver followed a written complaint by wildlife activists at the Malbazar Police Station under multiple sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, against the alleged harassment of the tusker by the driver of the JCB and the locals who were present at the time.
“The elephant was grievously injured after the provocation and poking. The elephant was calm before the locals, including the JCB driver, started provoking and chasing it. It is a wild animal, so naturally, it charged against the JCB and the concrete structure,” Swarup Mitra, secretary of the Mountain Trekkers Foundation and one of the complainants, said.
He added that one of the people present there had also pulled the elephant’s tail, further agitating it.
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Man arrested for provoking wild tusker in North Bengal, sparking human-elephant conflict; highlights ongoing issue of human-elephant conflict in region.
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