Jumbos run amok

Keonjhar: The wild elephants have destroyed over a dozen of houses and trampling croplands at villages in the Champua forest range jurisdiction.

The herd, which had strayed into the villages, are from the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj district. The elephants had migrated to the villages a fortnight ago. However, they had been driven away to their habitat. But, they reappeared again on Wednesday evening, said forest officials.

Though the jumbos have caused damaged to property and farm lands, so far no human casualty or injury has been reported.

The villages affected by elephant depredation are Banika, Katulikana, Tunutuna near the dense forest areas in Champua range.

The animals led their habitation corridor of Similipal Tiger Reserve and traversed through over 100km of hilly terrains and dense forest to stray into the reserve forest. The villages, where the elephants have strayed, are home to about 6,000 residents.

Skilled service group of elephant chasers are keeping round-the-clock watch on the animals. The GPS-tracking teams have spotted the jumbos' movements near the villages. They are on the job to chase them from there.

"As the location of elephants has been tracked, we are hopeful of blocking the animals' movement route to the villages and drive them away," the official said.

Odisha, which houses 70 per cent of total elephant population in east India, has been witnessing deteriorating human-elephant conflict with jumbo depredation spreading to 26 out of 30 districts of the state. The wild animals wander villages searching for food due to shrinking habitats.

Elephant attack

A five-year-old girl, who was sleeping at home, was killed after an elephant herd went on rampage at Basupali village in Katarbaga police limits of Sambalpur on Thursday.


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3 killed in wild jumbo attack in Odisha

Dhenkanal/Nuapada: With no respite in sight from jumbo attack, at least three persons including two priests of an ashram have been trampled to death in separate incidents in the state on Tuesday.

In the first instance, a herd of elephants attacked at least three priests of Khandanala ashram located in Mahabir Road Forest Range near Sarang in Dhenkanal district early in the morning, when they were on their way to attend nature’s call. While one of the priests managed to escape from the spot the rest two were trampled to death by the jumbos on the spot.

The deceased priests have been identified as Madhab Das and Prahallad Behera.

Tension gripped the area following the jumbo attack and forest officials pacified the irate villagers reaching the spot later in the morning.

In a similar incident in Nuapada district, an elderly man was killed in elephant attack in Karangabhata village under Komna block in the same morning.

The deceased has been identified as Sahadeb Lohra of the same village.

The victim was at his farmland near the village to guard paddy crops when an elephant herd attacked him and trampled on the spot.

A team of forest officials led by Komna Ranger Jagdish Duria has reached the village and is trying to drive the herd away.

The incident has left locals in a state of panic in the village.


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