Rogue elephants to be confined to forests!

statesman news service
SILIGURI, 21 MAY: To bring under control "resident" wild elephants that frequently damage houses and crops and even kill people, the state forest department is planning a project.
The objective is to confine elephants known to be trouble-makers ~ particularly tuskers ~ in a forest area and keep them there, inside the fencing. State forest minister Hiten Barman said his department had sent two proposals recently to the Central government, to build "rescue" centres for the notorious elephants.
"If the Centre allows it, we have to earmark 100 acres of forest area to build a rescue centre in north Bengal for erratic and notorious elephants involving in fighting within forests and disrupting life in forest villages," Mr Barman said.
"Our forest officials have already identified those tuskers ~ members of different herds of elephants ~ based on their track records and, at present, departmental officials always keep their eyes on them, to check the elephant menace," he said.  
"But, owing to some limitations we cannot check infighting and other problems, including man-animal conflict, when those tuskers go on the rampage. We cannot tranquillise elephants without reason and without permission from the Central authorities," the minister said. 
"So, we have decided to begin a pilot project to rehabilitate those elephants whose track records are horrible and alarming. We think this project may reduce man-animal conflict and the elephant menace in forest areas," Mr Barman told The Statesman by phone.
According to forest officials, the state has planned to build two such rescue centres: one in north Bengal, and one in south Bengal. Funds would be required for fencing to confine the elephants within the restricted zone, and to arrange fodder for them. 
A few tuskers create problems, but many wild elephants are well-behaved, according to according to the north Bengal forest department’s records.