Elephants invade communities in Bia West, disrupts activities

Elephants believed to have come from the Bia National Park have invaded the Nafana Area in the Bia West District of the Western Region, destroying farms and bringing socio-economic activities to a standstill.

For the past two weeks, residents of Nyamebeye, Akumapa Camp 8 and other communities in the area are unable to work on their farms for fear of being attacked by the animals.

The assembly member for the area, Mr. Augustine Bediako, told The Ghanaian Times at Essem that the elephants normally invade the communities along the fringe forest during the rainy season.

He said that children in the area refuse to go to school for fear of being attacked by the animals.

A cocoa farmer, Opanyin Nicolas Okrah, complained that the elephants had destroyed his eight acre cocoa farm, and about 10 bags of fermented cocoa beans.

He said the people had reported the incident to authorities of the Park to no avail, adding that the farmers would use all available means to get animals out of the place.