Locals panic as elephant herd goes on rampage in Angul's Banarpal

ANGUL: A herd of around 46 elephants is raiding standing paddy crops and human settlements in Banarpal block for the last four days, giving sleepless nights to local residents.

Apart from destroying crops, the elephants have also damaged houses in many villages. Two days back, a villager of Narichadrapur was trampled to death by elephants when he had gone to answer the call of nature. 

Sources said the jumbo herd, which arrived from neighbouring Dhenkanal district, is wreaking havoc in Banda and Nuahata panchayats besides nearby areas since December 4.

Talcher forest ranger Prabhat Rout said the elephants are staying put in forest during the daytime and entering the villages in night. The herd has destroyed paddy crops on vast tracts of farmland. Currently, the herd is in Tulasipal area.

Despite efforts of the Forest department to drive away the herd, the elephants are staying put in the area. “We are trying our best to drive the herd back into Dhenkanal forest since the last four days but to no avail. Cracker sounds and other means are being used to chase away the pachyderms. Our main priority now is to prevent the elephants from entering human habitations,” informed Rout.

Ramesh Chandra Sahoo, a local, said panic-stricken villagers are staying indoors after sunset for the last four days due to the fear of elephants. 

“The herd has already destroyed our paddy crops and now damaging houses by entering the villages. We request the Forest department to chase the herd away from the area as soon as possible,” he said.

Sahoo further said life has become miserable for locals with the electricity department cutting off power supply in the area due to the presence of the elephant herd.