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Herds of wild elephants, straying into areas bordering Goa lured by the sugarcane crops and water reserves, are causing havoc to villages and residents have urged that the pachyderms be relocated to sanctuaries. Villagers living along the Maharashtra-Goa border areas have started using torches and sticks to frighten the elephants that trample crops, the only source of livelihood for most people. "In the (Maharashtra-Goa border) villages of Konal, Tillari, Medhe, Sonaval, Paliye of Dodamarg taluka, villagers thwart the elephants at sunset using torches, country-made weapons and sticks," said wildlife enthusiast Nirmal Kulkarni. The lack of legal provisions for giving compensation to the victims of elephant attack has aggravated the problem of villagers. Villagers have urged the Maharastra government to help in trans-locating the herd and offer compensation to the affected people. Widespread deforestation, human encroachments in elephant corridors and increase of monoculture plantations are seen by local wildlife campaigners as having forced these elephants from the Dandeli wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka to migrate to the Mahadai sanctuary in Goa and from there to the Tillari region. Tillari falls in the state of Maharashtra and is the location where a dam is being built jointly by Maharashtra and Goa. Availability of a large water body and green fodder like sugarcane has attracted the elephant herds to the region. "The elephants, making repeated forays in the region since 2002, have destroyed agricultural produce and settlements. Since their entry in the Mahadai-Tillari region, the elephant herds have caused the death of four people and destroyed property worth hundreds of thousands of rupees," Kulkarni told IANS. - Forwarded by www.goa-world.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! - Get yours free! http://my.yahoo.com