Wild elephants spotted again in Cuttack city

Cuttack: For the second time in less than three months wild elephants from nearby Athgarh forest range have approached Cuttack city after crossing the Mahanadi river.

Panic and anxiety gripped the residents of Abhinav Bidanasi here on the outskirts of the city today when a herd of wild elephants were spotted near Biju Patnaik Park of the satellite city of Cuttack Development Authority (CDA).

The pachyderms were spotted here in the early morning by a newspaper hawker when they crossed the Ring Road and went into the bushy forest areas behind the Park. Forest officials said the pachyderms are believed to have come from the nearby Athgarh forest range and entered into the city after crossing the river.

The local police and forest officials soon cordoned the area and allowed the wild elephants to stay put inside the forest area throughout the day. "We would ensure a safe passage for the elephants to get back to the Athgarh forest areas in the night," said a forest official keeping a strong vigil on the pachyderms.

Another herd of wild elephants were spotted close to the Millennium city last December near Hadia Patha, an islet of River Mahanadi when they had entered into the industrial township of Choudwar.