A portion of the betel nut plantations in Changpang village under Bhandari block, Wokha district, damaged by wild elephants.
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20 years of cultivation wiped out overnight
Morung Express News
Wokha | April 22
A marauding herd of 30 to 40 wild elephants wreaked havoc on agricultural fields in Changpang village under Bhandari block of Wokha district during a midnight incident last Wednesday (April 15), destroying crops worth over Rs 2 crore in what residents are calling the worst elephant incursion in recent memory.
Giving a delayed report, the owner of one of the affected fields, Evothung Jami, informed that around 30 to 40 elephants arrived together and destroyed more than two bigha of farmland. The damage affected betel nut plantations, pineapple fields, banana crops and citrus fruits such as orange and lemon.
Jami stated that around 2,000 betel nut trees were damaged along with other crops. “The plantation, cultivated for more than 20 years, was in its harvesting stage, making the loss particularly severe,” Jami said, estimating total damages to exceed Rs 2 crore.
In addition to Jami’s losses, it was reported that two teak plantations belonging to another farmer, located adjacent to his field, were also damaged by the elephant herd.
Jami further informed that while elephant intrusions had occurred in previous years, the situation has worsened significantly this year. “Earlier, only a single elephant would come, but this time they came in a large group and caused much more destruction,” he said.
He also informed that the elephants are currently staying in the Changpang area and have not moved back, raising concerns among farmers and residents.
Jami added that the continued presence of the elephants has made it difficult for him and others in the area to carry out daily activities such as farming, fishing, and gathering vegetables.
Notably, no complaints or claims had been made to the concerned department in previous years. However, given the scale of the current damage and the ongoing threat, Jami urged, “there is now a growing need for immediate intervention and support from the authorities.”
Wokha district has emerged as the epicentre of human-elephant conflict (HEC) in Nagaland. The scale of the crisis prompted the Nagaland government to act. The Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on April 16, 2026 inaugurated the Doyang Wildlife Division along with a dedicated control room aimed at addressing the growing human-elephant conflict in the region. The newly created division, carved out of the erstwhile Doyang Plantation Division, will cover the forest divisions of Wokha, Mokokchung and Zunheboto.
Forest Minister C L John, who attended as chief guest, assured that the new division would help address human-elephant conflict and that more staff would be deployed in Wokha to effectively tackle wildlife-related concerns. He also noted that the State Action Plan has been submitted for assessment.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Vedpal Singh stated that the Doyang Wildlife Division, initiated in 2022, was a long-pending demand, and that a dedicated control room has been established at the Wokha Forest Office to facilitate reporting and prompt redressal of grievances related to HEC. ADC Wokha, Renbomo Ezung, noted that the district has been facing multiple wildlife-related challenges and expressed hope that with the establishment of the Doyang division, issues related to wildlife could be addressed more effectively, especially through improved habitat management.
The inauguration came just a day after the Changpang incident, underscoring the urgency of the problem.
