Sambalpur: Five persons have lost their lives in man-animal and reptile conflicts in the state in the last 24 hours. While four persons died due to elephant attacks in Sambalpur and Angul districts, a woman was dragged away by a crocodile in Kendrapara district, making her the second victim in a week. The attack took place when the woman was cleaning utensils in a canal at Hatiagadi village under Chandibaunsamula panchayat under Rajnagar block, sources said. The deceased has been identified as Sitarani Das (45). The incident happened exactly a week after a crocodile killed 10-year-old Ashutosh Acharya at Nimapur village under Pattamundai block in Kendrapara, June 14. His half-eaten body was found later by villagers.
Villagers observed that the deaths due to crocodile attacks are increasing due to the apathy of Forest department officials and the district administration. It should be stated here that a few days back wildlife experts and environmentalists attributed the rise in crocodile population to the increase in attacks on humans and livestock. The approximate crocodile count at the Bhitarkanika National Park (BNP) is close to 1,800 as per the last census in January. Meanwhile, a man identified as Gopal Pradhan (57), a resident of Kansar Panchayat under Uyomura block in Sambalpur district was killed in an elephant attack early Wednesday morning. Gopal was sleeping outside his residence due to the extreme heat when he was attacked by a tusker and trampled to death. In the second incident, an elephant trampled the owner of a roadside dhaba to death on National Highway-55 near Jujumura range in Sambalpur district. His identity is yet to be ascertained. Locals said that Forest department staffers have stopped patrolling as a mark of symbolic protest against the death of a colleague in Similipal National Park.
As result, elephants are straying into human habitats damaging property and killing people. Late Tuesday night, two persons were trampled to death in a tusker attack in villages under Bantala forest range in Angul district. The deceased were identified as Srinivas Sahu, 65 of Sanakantakula village, and Arun Pradhan, 55, of Aradiha village in Gadataras panchayat. The incident sparked tension in the areas as irate people scuffled with forest officials.