Female elephant stranded in Odisha, traffic disrupted for hours

A female elephant strayed away from its herd and got trapped along the banks of the Mahanadi river, triggering panic along the Banki-Cuttack main road and disrupting traffic for several hours on Saturday.

According to reports, a herd of around 20 elephants had crossed over to the Bhagipur area of Bankiafter moving from the Sukasan forest range under Athagarh Forest Division. While the entire herd later returned safely to the Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary, one female elephant got separated from the group and was left behind.

The lone elephant remained stranded on the banks of the Mahanadi for a long time. After eventually emerging from the river, it moved onto the road and began creating disturbances. As a result, vehicular movement on the busy Banki-Cuttack main road was brought to a complete halt, causing inconvenience to commuters and raising safety concerns among the locals.

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Upon receiving information, Forest Department officials rushed to the spot. With the coordinated efforts of forest personnel and the support of local residents, the elephant was safely guided back towards the Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary.