BARIPADA: A herd comprising 35 elephants has been giving sleepless nights to residents of villages under Betnoti and Rashgobdindpur forest ranges for the last 17 days.
The herd with five males, 20 females and five calves, has caused considerable damage to property worth lakhs in Bedampur, Haripur and Karatpata villages in Betnoti and several others in Rashgobindpur range.
The villagers have been advised not to stock Mahua flowers in their houses. Besides the one creating havoc in the area for the last 17 days, another comprising 42 elephants had sneaked into the range in November. Forty villages under Betnoti and Rashgobindpur forest ranges have been affected.
Human elephant conflict is a regular affair in both the ranges. Five people from the area have been killed by elephants in the last five years.