Two herds of Indian wild elephants have been roaming the hilly border areas of Bakshiganj upazila in Jamalpur for the past two weeks, destroying crops and frightening residents.
Nearly 30 elephants have been crossing the Garo Hills into nearby villages each evening in search of food, damaging paddy, eggplants and potatoes.
At least 10 villages — including Oshena Kona, Satani Para, Tila Para, Dighla Kona and Somanath Para in Kamalpur union — have been affected. Locals say newly planted paddy is being trampled and vegetable fields ravaged, with the animals in recent days even attempting to attack homesteads.
To protect their livelihoods, villagers are staying up at night to guard the fields, lighting fires and beating drums to scare the elephants away. Despite these efforts, the damage continues. Farmers say they spend their days worrying about lost crops and their nights in sleepless vigilance.
The upazila administration has assured residents that a list of damages will be prepared and affected farmers will receive assistance. Officials say coordination with the forest department is under way to mitigate further destruction.