BERHAMPUR: The herd of wild elephants that killed a tribal and his daughter at Badiganguda village in Gajapati district still continue to terrorise remote villages in the district.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) S.N. Mohapatra said they were keeping track of the movements of these pachyderms to avoid human casualties.

Meanwhile, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) has declared Rs 2 lakhs compensation for the family members of father and daughter duo killed by the elephants.

On Sunday evening this stray wild elephant herd from Lakhari elephant reserve was near Antarada village of Siali panchayat of Kasinagar block of Gajapati district at a distance of around 35 kms from the district headquarters, Paralakhemundi.

People of the village are ready with drums and cymbals in their hand to shoo away the elephants if they come near the village or as last measure run and escape to some safe place. Elephants continue to leave a trail of destruction throughout the way they pass through.

At the Olabhadra village elephants destroyed five thatched houses. No one was injured as the whole village was deserted when the elephants were seen nearby.

According to Prasanna Adhikari, a ward member of Badiganguda village, these elephants have destroyed large patches of paddy fields. Since Saturday they have strayed into villages like Sara, Adarshnagar, Palsingh of Khandava panchayat and some villages of Alada panchayat like Nauwda. It may be noted that paddy is extensively cultivated at these villages as they are near the Vansadhara river.

It is a still a long path for these elephants to find their way to the Lakhari forest as they have to take a complete new route to reach it.

They had strayed out of the forest about a month back and entered Gunupur area of Rayagada district. From there they have reached Gajapati district.

As per eyewitnesses there are four to five baby elephants in this herd of eleven elephants. Overprotective attitude of female elephants towards these babies has made this herd violent, Mr Mohapatra said. It is also making this herd change their location fast as they want to protect their progenies from human habitat.

As they do not know their way out of the maze of human habitats to get back to their forest they are roaming around creating panic at remote villages.

Calf left behind

BHUBANESWAR: The herd of elephants that strayed into city limit a couple of days ago left behind a one-year-old calf before returning to the Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary.

In a last-ditch effort to facilitate reunion of calf with the herd, Forest Department officials have kept the calf in a natural enclosure erected at Godibari, the main entrance of the sanctuary.

"We are waiting if the herd of elephants could return and take the calf back with them. The human presence has been minimised around the calf in order to keep it wild," Chandaka Divisional Forest Officer Akshaya Patnaik said.

He said the calf was supplied with artificial feeding with Forest Department officials keeping a close eye on its development.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail