Locals said the animals enter settlements, including Bhagalpur, Purandaha and Badhdanda, in the VDC at night almost every day and destroy houses, sheds and corn plants.

They said more than a dozen families have been forced to relocate due to the menace of the tuskers in the past two years. “We were forced to migrate as tuskers destroyed our houses and our means of living,” said Kulman Rai, who migrated to Tapeshwori a decade ago from Bhojpur. Rai is preparing to sell his farland at Tapeshwori and has already moved to Bahuni in Morang.

However, the wild animals are not the only troubles local residents in the area are facing. Surrounded by Saptakoshi River in the east, Triyuga River in the south and thick forests in the west, people in the area have also facing flash floods every year. Local resident Kamal Bista said tuskers, wild boars and buffaloes reared illegally in the Koshi Tappu area have added to their woes. He said they initiated various efforts to prevent the tusker menace but none was effective.

“We were troubled by floods since long but the damage caused by wildlife in the recent months is more serious,” said Ashok Karki, a local resident.

Former VDC Chairman Dilli Bimali said locals are having a tough time protecting their land and houses.