Elephant herd destroys paddy & standing crops in Odisha village

A herd of 15 elephants destroyed paddy and other standing crops in a village in Odisha's Ganjam district on Tuesday, forest officials said.

The incident took place at Kaitha village near a water body in the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, about 25-km away from here in the early hours, they said.

The jumbos not only destroyed the paddy and standing crops in the area but also damaged fishing boats and nets, used by fishermen dependent on river Bahuda for livelihood.

The elephants destroyed crops and boats after a baby elephant got separated from the herd which was camping on the outskirts of the village. Forest officials and villagers rescued the elephant calf when it missed its path and got separated from the herd.

"Despite our efforts to unite the calf with the herd, the baby elephant was not accepted by the group," said divisional forest officer (DFO) Amlan Nayak. The elephant calf was in good condition, he said.

The DFO said forest personnel have been deployed in the area to monitor the movement of the jumbos. At the same time, they are also trying to drive away the animals from the human habitat, he said.

He said compensation would be provided to the victims as per the government guidelines. "We have also advised the people not to venture near the elephant herd and click pictures, as the animals might attack them," the DFO said.

Two days ago, two persons including a minor were killed by the elephants in Bhanjanagar area in Ganjam district, forest officials said.