TEA GARDEN TRIO CAUGHT BETWEEN HERD AND GORGE Jumbos keep guards on edge for 2hrs

TT, Jalpaiguri: Three night guards in a Dooars tea garden have tied a rope to bamboo plants and clung on for dear life for over two hours hanging above a 70ft-deep gorge to escape from an elephant herd.

Binod Baraik, Bishnu Oraon and Jeevan Kharia didn't lose hope in the biting cold and pitch-darkness when the animals stood on the edge of the gorge and threw mud on them on Saturday night.

The trio said it was the first-of-its-kind experience though elephants would often enter the Baradighi tea garden from the nearby forest in search of food. The guards were watering tea bushes on Saturday night and had finished the job close to midnight.

"We were taking rest in a tent that we had pitched at one end of the estate. There is a bamboo grove next to the tent and beyond that is a gorge, through which a stream passes. Binod and Bishnu were a bit asleep while I was awake," said Jeevan.

Suddenly, Jeevan heard the sound of twigs and branches of trees being broken under some pressure. "I realised that an elephant herd was approa- ching. I immediately alerted the two," he said.

The three came out of the tent and found that they were caught between the elephants and the gorge. "If one doesn't want to jump into the gorge, he will have to run near the herd and try to dodge the animals. But there is always a risk that elephants will trample him upon or flung him on the ground with trunk," said Bishnu.

The guards got hold of a long rope in the tent and girded themselves for the long bat- tle. They fastened the rope to a bunch of bamboos and abseiled down the gorge one after another. "We remained silent and realised in a few minutes that three-four elephants were standing on the edge," said Bishnu.

Other members of the herd were stomping on the tent and strewing the guards' belongings. They damaged the water distribution pipes as well.

"The herd was probably in search of food. The elephants shrieked at regular intervals and sprinkled mud on the gorge as they stood on the edge. The dust fell on us. We didn't give up hope and remained silent," Bishnu said.

The herd was in the garden for over two hours. "It was an endless waiting. Although the weather was chilly, we were sweating. Our hands were slipping but we managed to hold each other. We said to each other that we would soon climb up," said Jeevan.

When Binod, Bishnu and Jeevan were convinced that (Left) Residents of the Baradighi tea estate stand near the edge of the gorge and check the night guards' belongings strewn by the elephant herd; (above) a water pipe damaged by the animals. Pictures by Biplab Basak the elephants had left, they climbed up.

"Once we were up, we did not have the strength to walk. We laid on the ground for quite some time and then checked our belongings. Later, we realised that we had been hanging for around two-and-a-half hours. Luckily, the herd didn't find the rope that was fastened to the bamboos," said Bishnu.

The herd, sources said, had entered the garden from the adjoining Lataguri forest. It returned to the forest soon.

The trio returned to their quarters after the day-break.