Man-Elephant Conflict Continues Unabated In Odisha; Man Killed, Girl Critical In Attack

Sambalpur/Mayurbhanj: A man was killed reportedly after being trampled by a herd of elephants in Bamara forest division of Kuchinda. The deceased has been identified as Sunil Ekka (45) of Mahulmunda village.

According to sources, the incident occurred early morning today when Sunil was returning to his village from Dumbermunda. Receiving information from locals, forest department personnel rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.

In another incident of human-elephant conflict, a young girl was injured after being attacked near Karanjia forest division in Mayurbhanj district on Sunday.

According to reports, Lilabati Nayak of Chanchabani village under Dudhiani range was returning home with her father from market, when an elephant trampled her, leaving Lilabati critically injured. "She was returning from Karanjia when the elephant attacked her," said Kunti Nayak, a relative of Lilabati.

She was immediately rushed to Karanjia Hospital for treatment and later shifted to Keonjhar District Headquarters Hospital after her condition worsened.

Notably, two elephant attack incidents have been reported from Pingu area of Karanjia range and Dudhiani range in a span of seven days, leaving the locals panicky.

On the other hand, wildlife experts are of the opinion that constant confrontations with humans have made the elephants aggressive.