Bonai: At a time when man-elephant conflicts are on rise, a jumbo’s quite unusual friendly behaviour has become the talk of the town in Tensa area under Bonai range in Sundargarh district.
For the last couple of days, an elephant is seen moving along Tensa-Barsuan road, a portion of National Highway-5. It is not surprising that the wild animal is moving along the road in day time but it is that the animal is collecting food items from the vehicles.
The pachyderm’s targets are the vehicles, particularly buses and trucks, plying on the Tensa-Barsuan road. It stops the trucks and buses, stretching its trunk out into the drivers’ cabins as if asking for some food.
According to the drivers who commute frequently on the said road, the jumbo is never seen kept standing near the vehicles after its demand is met. After getting its quota of the day, it returns to the jungle on its own. It has never attacked any commuters or caused damage to any vehicle.
This Friday, the gentle giant was seen collecting food from the vehicles on the road that resulted in traffic coming to a halt for as long as two hours.
The commuters instead of complaining about the traffic disruption were seen enjoying the unusual scene of an elephant collecting food from vehicles like a local goon collecting ransom from vehicle owners. After getting its heart content, it went inside the nearby jungle, commuters said.