Elephants destroying farms and trees in Bawku West

Elephants have besieged the Upper East Regional forest reserve at Tili in the Bawku West District, destroying farms and trees.

They are believed to have come from the forest reserve in Northern Region and neighbouring Burkina Faso and Togo, which is an annual routine visit by the animals to the area in the past few years.

The elephants surface at night around the Tili and Widnaba communities near Zebilla, the district capital of the Bawku West District, searching for food. This has since become a worry to the people as they go wild when they see human beings around them.

Mr Kojo Atarikiya, a Senior Wild Life Officer-In-Charge of the Eastern Corridor Wild Life forest reserve has confirmed the presence of the animals in the area.

The elephants he said are increasing in number and that if care is not taken they would begin to pose danger to residents in the area.

He said they had already destroyed about 70 farm lands along the east and west banks of the red Volta in the forest reserve.

He said the animals could also be found in the Garu-Tempane District and appealed to the two affected district assemblies to assist forestry guards in beefing up patrols to control these animals since they are a threat to life and property.

Mr John Akugre assemblyman for the Tili electoral area disclosed that apart from the 70 farmlands destroyed by the elephants about 190 hectares of land and other properties including plantations have been damaged.

Mr Akugre said the animals move into farmlands near the communities at night and return to the forest in the morning, making it difficult for farmers to track their movement to protect their farm products from being destroyed.

Farm products including rice, maize, groundnuts, and millet among others have been destroyed by the animals in the area.

Mr Akugre called on the district assembly, non-governmental organisations and the National Disaster Management Organisation to support the affected farmers with food since they cannot harvest their produce.

Last year, a 35-year-old farmer was killed in the night at the Garu-Tempane District by the elephants.