Haridwar: A herd of elephants was spotted near a liquor shop in Uttarakhand's Haridwar on Wednesday night. According to sources, elephants entered the Jagdishpur area of Haridwar and came strolling near the liquor shop at Laksar Road. The incident was recorded by locals.
The locals informed the Forest Department about the incident. On receiving the information, the Forest Department team reached the spot and chased the elephants towards the forest. Haridwar Forest Ranger, Dinesh Nautiyal said, "The movement of elephants is continuously increasing and due to this patrolling has been increased in this area. The forest department teams are ready all-day. The reason behind the elephants coming to the urban areas is sugarcane cultivation."
Also read: Climate change is leaving African elephants desperate for water
For the last several days the movement of animals has increased in Haridwar. There was a stir among the locals due to the movement of elephants and leopards in BHEL situated on the banks of Rajaji Tiger Reserve and Kankhal, on the banks of the Ganges. Tuskers were seen on congested roads as well.
Earlier, an elephant entered the railway track of platform number 6 of the Haridwar railway station. The tusker kept strolling on the railway line, for nearly half an hour. After much effort, the forest department officials were able to send it back to the Rajaji Tiger Reserve. The incident not only triggered panic in the area but also delayed a train. According to forest officials, the tusker had entered the station from the Haridwar range of Rajaji Tiger Reserve via the Mansa Devi route.
