October 29: It is autumn and for the farmers it is time to reap the fruit of the hard labour. But in Lhamoizingkha dungkhag, the farmers are not smiling at the prospect of a bountiful harvest.
Their weather beaten faces are grim if anything. That’s because wild animals including elephants tend to attack the paddy harvest as they ripen depriving the farmers of their sleep.

40-year-old farmer is from Alay village said she has been spending most of her days guarding her paddy harvest from rabbits, wild boars, monkeys and birds for almost two months now. During the day, she guards the crop and at night her husband replaces her. In addition to rabbits, wild boars, monkeys and birds, rampaging elephants also threaten the harvest.

In Lhamoizingkha wild elephants damage crops quite frequently. The farmers cannot do anything but watch helplessly.

On the night of October 22 a wild elephant appeared in the paddy fields at Alay Gaon in Nichula Geog. After informing the Geog officials some 15 people including the Geog officials spent the whole night trying to chase away the animal.

Tshogkpa Dilay Bhadur Bishta of the Chiwog said this particular elephant is hard to chase away. He said it hides in a nearby bush only to come back soon after the people go inside the house. They have to light as many kerosene torches as possible and shout to scare away the animal.

The Dungkhag’s Range Officer said forestry officials shoot in the air and use fire crackers and other methods to scare away the animal.

Villagers also use solar electric wires to prevent the wild elephants from entering their field. However the elephants have proven far too intelligent for this method to work effectively. They kneel down beneath the wires and enter the fields.

Our reporter Sonam Ugyen says wild elephants not only attack crops, they also pose a threat to the lives of the people and their houses in Lhamoizingkha Dungkhag. The Range Officer said an elephant has damaged two huts in the dungkhag early this year.

Farmers here are pessimistic about finding a permanent solution to the wild animals especially elephants attacking their crops.