‘Roaring’ lions to scare marauding tuskers in Sonbhadra

VARANASI:Villagers in the eastern Uttar Pradesh district of Sonbhadra have struck upon a novel idea to chase away wild elephants that have been causing ‘devastation’ to both life and property.

A recording of a lion’s roar is played over loudspeakers at night, which reportedly scares the pachyderms, driving them away. Sonbhadra divisional forest officer MP Singh said, “It is true that the locals play a recording of a lion’s roar on the sound system to drive away wild elephants. This innovative way is indeed effective, as the elephants run away in the forest hearing the roar.”

Wild elephants devastated crops in Rampakurar, Magarmad, Nawatola, Bichiyari, and Dumarhar villages in Babhani area of the Sonbhadra district in the last fortnight. They entered the villages in the bordering area of Sonbhadra at night and caused devastation. Also, wild elephants had trampled a youth to death and injured two others in Dumarhar village on Sunday night.

The herd comprising 20 elephants, surrounded the house of one Rai Singh in Rampakurar village and when locals tried to drive them away, the elephants trampled 25-year-old Rajendra Gond to death. Nabalig Singh, a local,

› Actually, every animal has its own natural instinctive behaviour for which they respond accordingly. For example, an elephant has an instinctive behaviour of avoiding confrontation with a lion and, therefore, usually avoids it after hearing its roar. Even if elephants hear a recording of the roar of a lion on a sound system, they will move away. PROF SK TRIGUN, DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY, BHU

said that a herd of wild elephants entered Sheeshtola village, where it damaged a house. Locals informed the forest team about presence of the elephants in the village. As the team reached the village, the locals played a recording of a lion’s roar. Hearing it, the elephants ran fast into the forest.

Locals Mannu Singh and Man Singh said that the elephants damaged their crops in the fields.

The elephants ran away in the forest after they drove them away but returned to haunt them every night in the last 15 days.

But the lion’s roar has given them a huge relief.

A senior forest officer said that vigil in the border area villages has been increased and the forest teams patrolled the area the whole night .

HTPHOTO Loudspeakers mounted on a vehicle play the sound of a lion’s roar repeatedly, scaring away the wild elephants, in one of the villages of Sonbhadra district.