Villagers in West Bengal use honey bees to fend off elephants

Nurpur village, being in close proximity to the Buxa Tiger Reserve, has always been a target of the tuskers, which frequently stray into localities and destroy the livelihood of the villagers.

Jalpaiguri: Residents of a village in West Bengal's Alipurduar district have found a unique method to keep wild elephants away from their homes and farms. The villagers have started bee farming to repel the tuskers. Bee farming has become a necessity to prevent elephant attacks in several villages in the district.

Nurpur village, being in close proximity to the Buxa Tiger Reserve, has always been a target of the tuskers, which frequently stray into localities and destroy the livelihood of the villagers. The elephants destroyed their crops and homes and often caused human fatalities. In such a situation, philanthropist Sadananda Chakraborty suggested that every household in the village should start beekeeping to prevent elephant attacks.

The district administration followed his suggestion and took the initiative of beekeeping in Nurpur village of block 2 in the Alipurduar district. Beekeeping is being done in the elephant corridor from the forest to the village. Locals said the day the project started, elephants no longer stray into their locality. Not only did the bees keep wild elephants away but the residents started collecting four to five kilograms of honey per week from each beehive.

"We live next to the Buxa Tiger Reserve and elephants often come to our village. We are cultivating beehives along the corridors of elephants to prevent their attacks. As a result of the initiative of the district administration, elephants are not entering the village through that route. Moreover, by collecting honey, we are also benefiting financially," local resident Rajkumar Mandal told ETV Bharat.

"Agriculture and the production of fruits have increased significantly after beekeeping. On the one hand, elephant attacks have come down and on the other hand, alternative income has been generated. As many as 264 families in the village were involved in beekeeping," said Amitabh Roy, a member of the Alipurduar Panchayat Samiti.