A herd of wild elephants entered the Nepuchapur tea estate in Jalpaiguri district on Sunday after villagers guarding paddy fields burst firecrackers to drive the animals away from their crops, according to a report by Telegraph India. The herd took shelter in Section 10 of the estate, located in Kumlai gram panchayat, alarming tea garden workers and nearby residents.
The elephants had emerged from Gorumara forest and were moving towards another forest along a traditional route passing through Targhera, local sources cited in the report said. Paddy fields lie along the route, and villagers had kept watch overnight to protect their crops.
The villagers set off firecrackers when the herd approached at dawn, according to the report. The noise caused the elephants to turn back and change direction, after which they entered the tea estate. The incident highlights the immediate conflict between crop protection measures and the movement of animals through a corridor that links forest areas.
The herd’s presence attracted crowds inside and around the tea garden. Tea workers and residents gathered to watch the animals, raising concerns for both public safety and the possibility that close human contact could disturb or provoke the herd.
Personnel from the forest department’s Mal squad reached the estate to monitor the elephants. A team from the Mal police station also arrived to manage the crowd and prevent people from approaching the animals.
Forest department officers asked onlookers to maintain a safe distance and avoid disturbing the herd. Officials expected the elephants to leave the tea estate on their own after nightfall and said they would continue monitoring their movements.
The incident took place in a landscape where forest corridors, agricultural fields and tea estates exist alongside one another. The route through Targhera is used by elephants moving between forest areas, while villagers depend on adjoining paddy fields for cultivation. The reported diversion of the herd after firecrackers shows how attempts to protect crops can alter animal movement and bring wildlife into inhabited or commercially managed areas.
The next operational step was the forest department’s continued monitoring of the herd and the management of crowds around Section 10. Officers said they expected the elephants to move out of the estate after nightfall.
