Chhattisgarh villagers make elephant statue to get rid from crop-raiding tuskers

Upset with crop-raiding tuskers, villagers of Chhattisgarh’s Kukradih have taken recourse of Lord Ganesha. They have built a statue of an elephant near their farms and prayed to Lord Ganesha to protect their crops from wild elephants. The villagers believe that this statue will protect their crops and village from wild tuskers. Almost 52 villages in Mahasamund district are facing the fury of wild elephants for five years. Almost 15 people have been killed and several had been injured by the wild tuskers during these years. These elephants raid on fields and damages the crops. Forest department is also trying different tactics to keep wild elephants away from the villages but still, the tuskers manage to barge into villages.