150 elephants returning from River Nile eastern bank in Nimule to their home in the western bank at Sokare village of Kajo-Keji County displaced 189 households from the area over the weekend to town areas.
Kajo-Keji County Wildlife Director Lieutenant Colonel Are Ali told CRN that the elephants are returning to settle after displacement by two decades’ war in the country.
He added that the elephants’ return witnessed serious destruction of shelters, food crops and displacement of people at Sokare village in the eastern part of Kajo-Keji County.
The Wildlife Director said the elephants are right to return to their previous habitat.
Lieutenant Colonel Ali advised Sokare displaced residents to relocate and settle somewhere in the county to leave the area for elephants’ settlement.
He expressed sympathy with the elephants’ destruction of food crops including cassava, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, simsim, groundnuts and bananas.
The Wildlife Director said the displaced people are in dire need of food, shelter, medicine and education facilities.
In 2013, a hippopotamus appeared at Sokare village during heavy rainfalls, killing one resident.