TV
A wild elephant has triggered panic in the Bonai forest division in Sundargarh district after resurfacing in the Kuliposh range and causing damage to standing crops in multiple villages.
Sources reported that the tusker, which had remained out of sight for some time, has returned to familiar territory, prompting heightened alerts from forest officials and anxiety among local farmers.
Recurring Intrusion During Peak Farming Season
According to the Forest Department, the elephant was last seen crossing a river near the Kuliposh range and entering the Dharani Dharpali section via Talita and Nuapali.
Over the past two days, the animal has been spotted wandering along village roads and raiding farmland, particularly paddy fields. Locals reported damage to maturing crops, a blow to many who rely on this season for their primary agricultural income.
Villagers in the region say the tusker is known to return annually during this period to feed on palm fruits, often destroying crops in the process. Its reappearance has reignited long-standing concerns over human-elephant conflict, particularly during the monsoon cultivation cycle.
Forest Department Launches Containment Measures
Efforts are underway to drive the elephant back into deeper forest zones. Officials from the Bonai range, including the Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) and field staff, have deployed teams to monitor the tusker’s movement and implement crowd control in affected areas.
Despite several attempts, the elephant has reportedly returned multiple times to the same pocket of forest, drawn by seasonal food availability.
Wider Pattern Of Conflict Across Odisha
The incident in Bonai comes on the heels of a similar episode in Banki, where an elephant from the Sukasan forest crossed the Mahanadi river and caused extensive crop damage near Bhagipur village.
In that incident, the tusker also broke through a boundary wall in the early hours of the morning, before being driven out by forest teams.
