Search the Internet           Tips

Villagers in Orissa fear
attacks by elephants

People from over 50 villages fear attacks by elephants after two women were killed by a herd within a week on the outskirts of the capital city Bhubaneswar.

"We are no more safe. The elephants may attack any village in the area. Villagers have virtually stopped leaving their houses alone, in fear of the elephant menace," said Babuli Sahu of Gangapada village.

Villagers near the famous Chandka elephant sanctuary are having sleepless nights as they fear a herd leaving the sanctuary and creating trouble, said a senior forest official.

A herd trampled a 35-year-old woman to death while injuring another in Gangapada village on Friday. Last Sunday, a 60-year-old woman was killed on the city's outskirts, near Khandagiri.

According to the villagers, the herd of elephants used to create trouble in villages near the sanctuary. "The group strayed into nearby villages, looking for vegetation and paddy," a forest official explained.

The villagers said that hungry elephants crossed the national highway and entered the villages nearby to feast on the paddy. "About nine elephants, including two calves, had come to the area three days back. Since then, they have destroyed over 25 acres of paddy crop, 14 thatched roof houses, half a dozen grills and 10 electric poles in nearby villages," a villager said.

After killing the woman, the elephants stayed near the village, giving a tough time to the forest officials, who wanted to drive the herd back to the sanctuary. The forest officials even blocked traffic on the national highway for about three hours to use crackers, loud music, drums and torches to scare away the elephants. They also resorted to blank firing, but the elephants only shifted to a nearby paddy field.

According to environmentalist Banka Behary Das, the elephants were coming out of the sanctuary in search of food and water. "All natural streams and water resources within the sanctuary have dried up due to massive deforestation," Das said. This is a main reason why elephants rush to human habitations. This is evident as both women were killed near ponds, Das added.

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report