Kuensel
26 November, 2007
On the morning of November 20, some farmers of Jitey village under Samtse dzongkhag spotted a rhinoceros in the nearby jungle. It was a good sign.
According to the villagers, the presence of rhinos means the absence of elephants and no further devastation of their farmlands.
Sunakheth literally means “field of gold” and it would be so had it not been for a large herd of elephants that destroyed about three acres of paddy. L P Bhatarai from Jiteytar lost 75 percent of his harvest and now grazes his cattle in the ravaged fields.
The area, a little way up the Jitey khola (river), bears witness to the devastation by the uninvited guests and the suffering the people have endured. The pachyderms come at night and roam around until morning before returning to their habitat.
Ash Maya’s house stands amidst fallen doma and uprooted banana trees. The elephants had come right up to her home. Her family had remained inside the mud and bamboo house while the elephants destroyed their fields. “We lit a fire and stayed put. There’s nothing else we could do. Nothing can drive them away when they come,” said Ash, looking helpless.
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