Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

                trigger_error($message, E_USER_WARNING);

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-Livemint.com&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&amp;rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&amp;mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central to a hula party&amp;rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&amp;mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &amp;ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&amp;rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&amp;rsquo;ve been raided.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&amp;rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&amp;rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&amp;rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &amp;ldquo;That&amp;rsquo;s where they are.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the forested parts of Bengal&amp;rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &amp;ldquo;alarming&amp;rdquo;. The state&amp;rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &amp;ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&amp;rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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-Livemint.com

The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants

The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Livemint.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&amp;rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&amp;mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Central to a hula party&amp;rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&amp;mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &amp;ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&amp;rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&amp;rsquo;ve been raided.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&amp;rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&amp;rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&amp;rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &amp;ldquo;That&amp;rsquo;s where they are.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the forested parts of Bengal&amp;rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &amp;ldquo;alarming&amp;rdquo;. The state&amp;rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &amp;ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&amp;rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html&quot; title=&quot;http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-Livemint.com&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&amp;rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&amp;mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central to a hula party&amp;rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&amp;mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &amp;ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&amp;rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&amp;rsquo;ve been raided.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&amp;rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&amp;rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&amp;rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &amp;ldquo;That&amp;rsquo;s where they are.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the forested parts of Bengal&amp;rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &amp;ldquo;alarming&amp;rdquo;. The state&amp;rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &amp;ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&amp;rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
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-Livemint.com

The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants

The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About...&#039;
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The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants

The elephants are here,&rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About..."/>
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                <strong>Living with the elephants -Shamik Bag</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-Livemint.com<br /><br /><em>The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants<br /></em><br />The elephants are here,&rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.<br /><br />Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.<br /><br />Central to a hula party&rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&rsquo;ve been raided.<br /><br />As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.<br /><br />Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s where they are.&rdquo;<br /><br />In the forested parts of Bengal&rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.<br /><br />The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &ldquo;alarming&rdquo;. The state&rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. <br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html" title="http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>               </font>
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-Livemint.com&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&amp;rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&amp;mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central to a hula party&amp;rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&amp;mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &amp;ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&amp;rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&amp;rsquo;ve been raided.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&amp;rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&amp;rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&amp;rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &amp;ldquo;That&amp;rsquo;s where they are.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the forested parts of Bengal&amp;rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &amp;ldquo;alarming&amp;rdquo;. The state&amp;rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &amp;ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&amp;rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
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-Livemint.com

The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants

The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Livemint.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&amp;rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&amp;mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Central to a hula party&amp;rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&amp;mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &amp;ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&amp;rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&amp;rsquo;ve been raided.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&amp;rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&amp;rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&amp;rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &amp;ldquo;That&amp;rsquo;s where they are.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the forested parts of Bengal&amp;rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &amp;ldquo;alarming&amp;rdquo;. The state&amp;rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &amp;ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&amp;rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html&quot; title=&quot;http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-Livemint.com&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&amp;rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&amp;mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central to a hula party&amp;rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&amp;mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &amp;ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&amp;rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&amp;rsquo;ve been raided.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&amp;rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&amp;rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&amp;rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &amp;ldquo;That&amp;rsquo;s where they are.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the forested parts of Bengal&amp;rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &amp;ldquo;alarming&amp;rdquo;. The state&amp;rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &amp;ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&amp;rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
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-Livemint.com

The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants

The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Livemint.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&amp;rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&amp;mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Central to a hula party&amp;rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&amp;mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &amp;ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&amp;rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&amp;rsquo;ve been raided.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&amp;rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&amp;rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&amp;rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &amp;ldquo;That&amp;rsquo;s where they are.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the forested parts of Bengal&amp;rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &amp;ldquo;alarming&amp;rdquo;. The state&amp;rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &amp;ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&amp;rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html&quot; title=&quot;http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
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The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants

The elephants are here,&rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About..."/>
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                <strong>Living with the elephants -Shamik Bag</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-Livemint.com<br /><br /><em>The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants<br /></em><br />The elephants are here,&rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.<br /><br />Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.<br /><br />Central to a hula party&rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&rsquo;ve been raided.<br /><br />As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.<br /><br />Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s where they are.&rdquo;<br /><br />In the forested parts of Bengal&rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.<br /><br />The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &ldquo;alarming&rdquo;. The state&rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. <br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html" title="http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>               </font>
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-Livemint.com&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&amp;rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&amp;mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central to a hula party&amp;rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&amp;mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &amp;ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&amp;rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&amp;rsquo;ve been raided.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&amp;rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&amp;rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&amp;rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &amp;ldquo;That&amp;rsquo;s where they are.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the forested parts of Bengal&amp;rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &amp;ldquo;alarming&amp;rdquo;. The state&amp;rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &amp;ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&amp;rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
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-Livemint.com

The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants

The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Livemint.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&amp;rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&amp;mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Central to a hula party&amp;rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&amp;mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &amp;ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&amp;rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&amp;rsquo;ve been raided.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&amp;rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&amp;rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&amp;rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &amp;ldquo;That&amp;rsquo;s where they are.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the forested parts of Bengal&amp;rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &amp;ldquo;alarming&amp;rdquo;. The state&amp;rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &amp;ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&amp;rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html&quot; title=&quot;http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-Livemint.com&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&amp;rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&amp;mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central to a hula party&amp;rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&amp;mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &amp;ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&amp;rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&amp;rsquo;ve been raided.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&amp;rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&amp;rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&amp;rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &amp;ldquo;That&amp;rsquo;s where they are.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the forested parts of Bengal&amp;rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &amp;ldquo;alarming&amp;rdquo;. The state&amp;rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &amp;ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&amp;rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
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-Livemint.com

The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants

The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Livemint.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The elephants are here,&amp;rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&amp;rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&amp;mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Central to a hula party&amp;rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&amp;mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &amp;ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&amp;rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&amp;rsquo;ve been raided.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&amp;rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&amp;rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&amp;rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &amp;ldquo;That&amp;rsquo;s where they are.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the forested parts of Bengal&amp;rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &amp;ldquo;alarming&amp;rdquo;. The state&amp;rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &amp;ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&amp;rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html&quot; title=&quot;http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
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The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants

The elephants are here,&rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About..."/>
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                <strong>Living with the elephants -Shamik Bag</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-Livemint.com<br /><br /><em>The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants<br /></em><br />The elephants are here,&rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.<br /><br />Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.<br /><br />Central to a hula party&rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&rsquo;ve been raided.<br /><br />As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.<br /><br />Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s where they are.&rdquo;<br /><br />In the forested parts of Bengal&rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.<br /><br />The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &ldquo;alarming&rdquo;. The state&rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. <br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html" title="http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>               </font>
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-Livemint.com<br />
<br />
<em>The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants<br />
</em><br />
The elephants are here,&rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.<br />
<br />
Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.<br />
<br />
Central to a hula party&rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&rsquo;ve been raided.<br />
<br />
As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.<br />
<br />
Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s where they are.&rdquo;<br />
<br />
In the forested parts of Bengal&rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.<br />
<br />
The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &ldquo;alarming&rdquo;. The state&rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. <br />
<br />
Please <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html">click here</a> to read more. <br />
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-Livemint.com

The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants

The elephants are here,&rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About...',
	'disp' => '<div align="justify">-Livemint.com<br /><br /><em>The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants<br /></em><br />The elephants are here,&rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.<br /><br />Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.<br /><br />Central to a hula party&rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&rsquo;ve been raided.<br /><br />As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.<br /><br />Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s where they are.&rdquo;<br /><br />In the forested parts of Bengal&rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.<br /><br />The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &ldquo;alarming&rdquo;. The state&rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. <br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html" title="http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>',
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-Livemint.com<br />
<br />
<em>The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants<br />
</em><br />
The elephants are here,&rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.<br />
<br />
Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.<br />
<br />
Central to a hula party&rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&rsquo;ve been raided.<br />
<br />
As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.<br />
<br />
Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s where they are.&rdquo;<br />
<br />
In the forested parts of Bengal&rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.<br />
<br />
The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &ldquo;alarming&rdquo;. The state&rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. <br />
<br />
Please <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html">click here</a> to read more. <br />
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-Livemint.com

The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants

The elephants are here,&rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About...'
$disp = '<div align="justify">-Livemint.com<br /><br /><em>The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants<br /></em><br />The elephants are here,&rdquo; Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy.<br /><br />Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village&rsquo;s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party&mdash;village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds.<br /><br />Central to a hula party&rsquo;s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula&mdash;a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the &ldquo;satisfaction of hitting out&rdquo; at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they&rsquo;ve been raided.<br /><br />As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it&rsquo;s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land.<br /><br />Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn&rsquo;t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There&rsquo;s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s where they are.&rdquo;<br /><br />In the forested parts of Bengal&rsquo;s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10.<br /><br />The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as &ldquo;alarming&rdquo;. The state&rsquo;s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: &ldquo;In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.&rdquo; Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. <br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html" title="http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/djywmWkaKdyS8FoJGe5ccL/Living-with-the-elephants.html">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>'
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Living with the elephants -Shamik Bag

-Livemint.com The tribal belt of south Bengal has become ground zero of a grim battle with an ever-increasing population of visiting elephants The elephants are here,” Jiten Singh declares without any show of emotion as we arrive at Tapoban (Madhyapara) village. About 65km from Kharagpur town, Tapoban is a tribal hamlet deep within the vast forested terrain known as Jangalmahal, in West Bengal. It is nearing dusk. Ordinarily, the village would be asleep in a couple of hours. Tonight, though, will be one of sleepless vigil, not unlike nights during the cultivation season when elephant herds troop out of the jungle to picnic on the paddy. Singh will lead the night-long watch. Only 20, this college dropout is a veteran of many an encounter with elephants and feels responsible for his village’s safety. West Bengal forest department officials have designated him head of the local hula party—village youth who are commissioned and paid by the forest department to chase away raiding herds. Central to a hula party’s armoury, along with fireballs and crackers, is the hula—a long wooden stick with a gunny bag tied to one end, which is set alight, with a sharp metal spearhead sticking out. Fire scares the elephants. Occasionally, it singes. The metallic spear, a Tapoban villager explains candidly, is for the “satisfaction of hitting out” at an elephant when death looms. In recent years, Tapoban and its neighbouring villages have reported two deaths. Nobody keeps count of the times they’ve been raided. As we speak to gathered villagers, someone gets a hula ready: The gunny rag has to be doused in burnt Mobil motor oil before it’s set on fire right before the chase. Some others hurry home in the fading light before the elephant herd, reportedly a kilometre inside the forest, emerges on to the road and farm land. Shaktipada Choudhury, a farmer from neighbouring Pathardahara, guides us to his paddy field, which had been invaded two nights earlier by elephants. In near twilight, it isn’t difficult to make out the jumbo footprints on the ground or the mounds of dung. Choudhury points towards the foggy forest line not too far away. There’s no alarm or anger in his voice. Maybe, a touch of resignation. “That’s where they are.” In the forested parts of Bengal’s West Midnapore district, the pachyderms are there to stay. They started moving into Bengal from the Dalma Hills in neighbouring Jharkhand in the mid-1980s, an annual migration that only sees their numbers and length of stay in the south Bengal districts increasing. Forest department records note that a herd of around 10 elephants made its way into Bengal in the late 1980s, but official figures indicate that 90-120 elephants visited the Midnapore division alone in 2016-17, staying for as many as 285 days in 2016, compared with the herd of 70-80 that stayed for 15 days in 2009-10. The ensuing run-in between man and elephant has been bitter, and often bloody. The state government paid compensation of Rs1.45 crore and over Rs11 lakh for crop loss and damaged houses, respectively, in Midnapore division during 2016-17; five people were killed during this period in the same division. Even though the toll has been coming down, the situation is described as “alarming”. The state’s former chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas, told IANS in 2016: “In 2015-16, 108 people were killed and 95 injured by wild elephants in the state. A total of 14 elephants have been killed in retaliation.” Seventy-one of those killed were in south Bengal, with Bankura and West Midnapore accounting for the highest number of deaths. West Bengal also reported the maximum number of deaths caused by elephants in India from 2013-16, followed by Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. Please click here to read more.