Residents panic as jumbo takes a walk in villages of Odisha

BARIPADA: The villagers of Poda Astia, Jambani and Sindurgoura under Shamakhunta block are a panicked lot after a wild elephant aged about 20 years was seen roaming on the village roads amid human habitations on Tuesday.According to sources, the tusker was first seen on the road between Udala and Baripada and later moved to Jambani village after passing through the Poda Astia hamlet.

“The jumbo probably strayed into the human settlement in search of food. It might have come from the Similipal Tiger Reserve as the national park is just about 17 km away from Poda Astia,” said an eyewitness Pramod Kumar Dutta.

Police reached the spot on receiving information and followed the pachyderm back to a small forest near Budhabalanga river after it passed through Sindurgoura village. Pithabata range officer LD Behera said, “The jumbo is currently roaming in the Khasadiha forest that is close to Similipal. Our team is keeping a close vigil on the tusker’s movement. It is expected to cross the forest and reach its destination by Wednesday night.”

The locals have been asked to remain vigilant and inform the department if the elephant was seen returning to the villages, added Behera. It may be recalled that several wild elephants from the Similipal Tiger Reserve have been seen invading human habitations in the past five years, destroying paddy fields and orchards in search of food.