Apr 30, Kathmandu - In Buddhashanti and Mechinagar, life has been disrupted after elephants and leopards started coming to human settlements day after day.

Two male elephants roamed the tea plantation in Buddhashanti Rural Municipality-2 throughout the day on Wednesday. The Armed Police Force and Nepal Police team monitored the elephants throughout the day to prevent any human casualties.

“There was a fear that they would enter the village and cause damage,” said Chandra Raut, in charge of the Area Police Office, Budhhara, who is deployed to monitor the elephants. “We had to disperse the large crowd that had gathered around to see the two elephants that appeared in the plantation in the morning.”

The police had used microphones to disperse the crowd around the tea plantation. The elephant, which roamed the plantation throughout the day, headed towards the forest at night.

Similarly, a leopard is causing damage to livestock in Mechinagar Municipality-5. Ward Chairman Kanak Karki said that the leopard has been eating goats and pigs every day. Since last year, the leopard has been terrorizing the locals in Mechinagar-1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. On the initiative of the locals, youths have been taking risks and going on night patrols and setting traps to chase the leopard.

However, after the leopard could not be controlled, the Mechinagar Municipality has sought help from the District Administration Office, District Police Office and Forest Division Office. Mechinagar Mayor Gopal Budhathoki said that they have met Chief District Officer Shivaram Gelal and other district police and forest office chiefs and requested them to help in controlling the leopard.

A few weeks ago, a leopard that had entered the village in Buddhashanti Rural Municipality died while being controlled. Leopards have been coming from India to Buddhashanti and Mechinagar in the northern part of the district.