Angul: A herd of six elephants has been wreaking havoc at Kinkili village under Talcher forest range in Angul district giving sleepless nights to the villagers, reports said. On the other hand, another 22 wild elephants have been spotted near TTPS ash pond in Talcher.
The herd went on a rampage and destroyed crops in the village. They strayed into villages and ransacked houses, spreading terror among the villagers. Fearing for their lives, women have stopped going to forest to collect firewood and leaves. Schoolchildren are having a tough time to reach their schools in fear of the pachyderms. Many farmers complained of severe crop loss due to stampede by the jumbos.
Locals alleged that the elephant herd has strayed into villages after crossing the Brahmani river. The villagers accused forest officials of failing to keep a track on the movement of the pachyderms. Meanwhile, forest personnel and the police have been deployed in villages near TTPS and Kinkili to drive away the herd from villages. They are also trying to avoid damage to crop and houses by the elephants in the villages.
Meanwhile, a man identified as Ganesh Pradhan was trampled to death at Parikhela village under Sadangi forest range in Dhenkanal district. Earlier, in the first week of October, people of villages under Champua range in Keonjhar district had to deal with a herd of rampaging wild elephants for three days.
In yet another case of man-animal conflict in the district, an elderly woman was trampled to death by a tusker in Sadar forest range of Keonjhar district September 26.
PNN