Jajpur: A wild elephant has strayed into some villages in Jajpur district and destroyed acres of sugarcane crops, locals said.
Residents of six villages in Rasulpur block said they had spotted the wild elephant in the early hours of Tuesday. The elephant from the Mahavinayak Reserve Forest in Jajpur apparently ventured into the human habitat in search of food.
People remained indoors in fear of the tusker, said Bijay Jena, a local said. Forest officials from Bairi and Tomka range reached the area Tuesday morning. They tried to drive it away from the sugarcane field by beating drums and flashing lights.
The wild elephant is in the sugarcane fields of Nunupur on Tuesday night and panic-struck villagers are burning tyres and wood in the night.
Over 50 Forest Department personnel are taking all measures to prevent the elephant from damaging houses and crops, Cuttack Divisional Forest Officer Sanjaya Swain said.
Electricity officials are resorting to power cuts in the area to prevent the elephant from entering human habitations, Swain said.
We are trying to drive it away from the area and take it to its natural habitat areas of Mahavinayak forest, the official added.
Agencies