Rourkela: In two separate incidents, elephants have destroyed the boundary walls of two individuals in this town while looking for food.
At Lathikata locality, a single female elephant brought down Monday the boundary wall of a person identified as Kailash Singh. The locals then drove the animal away with the help of lighted torches. The tusker then took refuge in the nearby Ergada jungle.
Villagers informed that the elephant belonged to a herd of 12 animals that had taken shelter in the forest. They stayed near Kucheita close to NH-143 all through the day. Before leaving the spot, the herd destroyed standing crops like paddy and vegetables.
Near Lahunipara Guhaldihi village, a male elephant went on the rampage Tuesday. It broke the asbestos roof of a person identified as Ramesh Mahanta. The animal also destroyed food items including paddy stored in the house.
A Forest department official said that the elephant has been driven out from its herd and hence it is in a foul mood.
Locals demanded that special protection measures must be put in place to curb the elephant menace which is increasing rapidly. They pointed out that the day is not far off when man-animal conflict will turn for the worse if the elephant menace is not tackled in a proper manner.
PNN