Elephants go wild for beer near Guwahati, kill six
Agencies Posted online: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 at 1324 hours IST Updated: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 at 1342 hours IST
Guwahati, December 17: At least six persons were crushed to death by wild elephants that went amok after getting drunk of rice beer near Guwahati, an official said Tuesday.
The forest official said the herd went on the rampage Monday, looking for their favourite beer, in Tinsukia district, 550 km from Guwahati.
“They smashed huts and plundered granaries and broke open casks to drink rice beer. The herd then went berserk killing six persons," the official told reporter by telephone from Tinsukia.
Wild elephants have been targetting areas where people brew large volumes of rice beer.
"We have come across devastating drunken bouts by herds that have developed a liking for country liquor," Kushal Sharma, a noted elephant expert, said. The elephants have been causing large-scale devastation in the area.
"A depleting forest cover and encroachment of elephant corridors have forced the pachyderms to stray out of their habitats," Assam Forest Minister Pradyut Bordoloi said.
In the last two years, elephants have killed at least 150 people. Angry villagers, in turn, have killed up to 200 of the animals.
Assam is home to about 5,500 of the country's total 10,000 wild elephant population.
