Elephant herd triggers panic in Ganjam

Berhampur: People living near the forests in Ganjam district's Ghumusar North division along the border with Kandhamal are gripped by fear as a herd of 28 elephants are roaming in the area for the past few days.
The herd of elephants damaged the compound wall of a forest guard's quarters at Hatiguda in Tiliki reserve forest on Wednesday night. Two motorcycles parked near the house were also damaged in the attack. On Tuesday night, the elephants also killed a bullock at Hatiguda.
"We are now in fear after the elephant killed the bullock," said Bisu Mallick, the owner. "We are now afraid to venture into the forest or to leave livestock animals like cattle in the forest for grazing, fearing the pachyderms," Mallick, a farmer, said.
Earlier, the elephant herd damaged several houses in different villages under Muzagarh range in search of food.
Himansu Sekhar Mohanty, divisional forest officer (DFO), Ghumusar North, said around 30 people, including anti-poaching staff and forest personnel, are tracking the movements of the elephants. "They are also creating awareness among the villagers not to tease the animals," he said.
He said they would provide compensation to the victims and the bullock owner as per govt provision.