Hundreds of villagers of Rakala village under Hindol block in Dhenkanal district are living in terror of elephant attacks as a tusker has taken shelter in a bamboo bush near the village.
According to the villagers, the pachyderm is hiding in the bush during the day hours and coming out in the evening. Out of fear, the villagers have stopped roaming in the village, even during the daytime.
Meanwhile, a team from the Forest department has camped in the village. They are trying to drive the wild animal out of the village but their attempts have yielded no result so far.
On the other hand, the Hindol ranger informed that the elephant is sick. "The animal needs to be tranquilized so that its blood sample can be collected and sent for tests. Once the report is obtained, the necessary treatment will start," he informed.
Last month in Dumuria village under Karanjia division of Mayurbhanj district, two forest department employees were sacked for throwing fireballs at a herd of elephants while trying to drive them away.