When compassion trumped conflict: Woman feed elephant herd in Keonjhar in a rare human-wildlife encounter

Amid reports of human-animal conflicts, a rare instance of peaceful human-elephant interaction was witnessed in Purushottampur village under the Telkoi forest range of Odisha's Keonjhar forest division, where a woman offered food to a herd of elephants that had entered her premises on Thursday night.

The elephants reportedly arrived from a nearby forest in search of food and approached the house of Kuntala Penthei. Instead of panicking, the family placed two sacks of paddy in their garden for the herd. After consuming the paddy, the elephants returned to the adjoining forest without causing any damage to the house or garden.

Elephants Returned Without Causing Damage

According to reports, the herd did not damage any trees or property in the garden. The incident was later described by forest officials as a positive example of coexistence between humans and wildlife.

Dhanraj Hanumant Dhamdhere, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Keonjhar, said, “Elephants never intend to harm humans or break down houses. However, when people try to drive them away or irritate them, they become agitated and may damage property. Like Kuntala Penthei, there are many villagers who believe in coexistence.”

Family’s Account Of The Incident

Recounting the incident, Kuntala Penthei said the elephants had initially disturbed some plywood sheets placed near the house while searching for food.

“The elephants came to our house in search of food and knocked down some plywood sheets that were placed there. My son noticed them and called us. We fed them two sacks of paddy, and they left,” she said.

She further added, “Soon after, they returned with a large tusker whose tusks were reaching the ground. We fed all of them, and they left without harming anyone.”

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Forest officials reiterated that elephants generally do not cause harm unless provoked, and said the incident highlighted the importance of calm and non-confrontational behaviour in areas prone to human-elephant interaction.