Sonepur: Tension gripped Hatipahula village under Ulunda Range in the district after a man was trampled to death by a wild elephant on Thursday. The deceased has been identified as one Ugrasena Bhoi.
According to reports, a herd of around 40 elephants entered the village late last night and wreaked havoc by destroying paddy crops. When the villagers tried to drive the herd away, a pachyderm attacked Ugrasena and crushed him to death on the spot.
Till the filing of this report, the forest department officials were yet to reach the spot.
In another instance of growing man-elephant conflict in Odisha, a herd of wild elephants have left the people of Athagarh area in a state of panic. Road and rail communication has been affected due to frequent obstruction of National Highway and Railway tracks by the mammals.
Another herd of marauding elephants has caused enormous damage to property as well as crops at Chanchabani village under Karanjia forest range of Mayurbhanj district. People here are spending sleepless nights as the herd comprising 22 elephants has been frequently straying into the human settlement. According to reports, the elephants have damaged more than five houses and destroyed paddy crop in several acres of land in the village.
One more person was killed in yet another elephant attack in the Panchalingeswar region near the Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary in Nilagiri on October 21. The deceased identified as Ram Samal had gone to the forest in search for firewood, when he was attacked by an elephant. He reportedly died on spot.
(Edited by Devbrat Patnaik)