Night of fear: Elephant herd enters villages, homes and paddy stocks damaged

A herd of 12 elephants has created panic in several villages under the Tamra Range of the Bonai Forest Division in Sundargarh district. While the elephants remain inside dense forest areas during the day, they are venturing into nearby villages at night, leaving residents sleepless and fearful.

The elephant herd has been particularly active in Badgaon, Dumer Munda, Nunia Pali, and Kanta Pali areas, where villagers have been experiencing repeated disturbances during the night. Although the paddy harvest has already been completed, the elephants are reportedly breaking into houses where harvested grain is stored, damaging homes and carrying away bags of paddy with their trunks.

As a result, a sense of fear has gripped the entire locality, with residents of at least six villages severely affected by the continuous movement and depredation caused by the elephant herd.

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The Forest Department said that teams from two sections are continuously tracking the elephants' movements and making efforts to drive them back to safer forest zones. Officials also stated that arrangements are being made to provide compensation to the affected villagers in accordance with the state government’s guidelines.