On a recent visit to Kaziranga National Park in North East India leading a workshop with my students, we visited the village Molipetar Basti, adjacent to the National Park. A small herd of 4 elephants in the late evening walked through the reserve forest and to the community rampaging the fields and the adjoining homes. One particular family of Sanjay Ghosh with wife and four children were lucky to survive as they ran onto the tree top where they have a temporary shelter. In a span of 15 minutes the elephants pulverized their home and in particular snatched the rice from their kitchen. Jyoti P Das, researcher with AARANYAK who was with us when we visited the village said, these conflicts are increasing as the elephant path is encroached and rouge elephants take advantage and seek their rice and toddy from the village homes.

The approach to the village of Molipetar Basti where a small community of 10 families live. Their main occupation is agricultural labor.

4 elephants from the adjoining national park crossed the path through the agricultural fields right into the homes in the community.

The affected mother with her four children huddles to a corner still recovering from the shock.

Sanjay Ghosh, the sole bread winner for the family picks up the plastic can which stored Rice. Elephants rampaged and took away all their daily groceries. The family was left with nothing by grief and shock of surviving an elephant attack.

The family stand helplessly and innocently not knowing what to do next for their house and their daily life.