GUWAHATI, India (AP) — For months an injured male elephant has been frequenting a village on the outskirts of India’s northeastern Assam state in search of food, bringing it into contact with people living in the area.
The elephant often breaks into shops and helps itself to food on the shelves, prompting locals to erect steel fences and concertina wires in front of their houses and roadside kiosks. Villagers have been providing the animal food and water, but its frequent visits — at least twice a day — halt traffic sometimes, forcing locals to shoo the elephant away.
According to wildlife officials, the elephant has been unable to go back to the nearby Amchang Reserve forest after injuring its leg few months ago. They say it has also been facing resistance from other elephants whenever it attempts to join a herd.
Elephants are increasingly coming into contact with people in India, as the human population of 1.4 billion soars and cities and towns grow at the expense of jungles and other elephant habitats. In Assam, which has more than 5,000 wild Asian elephants, there have been many incidents in recent years where wild elephants have entered villages, destroyed crops and even killed people.
Wildlife activists say human encroachment has forced elephants out of their natural habitats, triggering conflicts with locals.
Conservationists have urged the government to prevent encroachments and create corridors that the elephants can use to move across forests in search of food.
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