CUTTACK: Farmers of Athagarh are spending sleepless nights as a herd of 17 elephants on its way back from Chandaka forest has been rampaging through their agricultural land and destroying crops.
The herd divided into two groups has been frequently straying into the farmland especially paddy fields which are now in ripened stage.
“The elephants are not only eating the ripened paddy but also trampling the crops. We are forced to spend the night in the open near our fields to protect our crops,” said a local farmer.
The herd comprising seven calves, as many female elephants and three tuskers is currently roaming inside the Subasi Reserve Forest in the Khuntuni forest of Athagarh forest division. Their movement in residential areas has also created panic among the people of nearby villages like Oranda, Bali, Kapursingh, Paikarapur, Mancheswar, Bidyadharpur, Sarkoli, Pahilabara, Nuaptana and Sashank, etc.
The forest staff have intensified patrolling in the region to prevent the elephants from entering agricultural fields or having any conflict with the villagers.
“The herd has been stationed at Suniamunha hill under Subasi reserve forest for the last six days. Two teams have been formed to monitor the movement,” informed Khuntuni forest range officer NM Sahu.
“We are also using drone to track the movement of the elephants and providing information to local resident about their presence through megaphone announcement. We have also formed a WhatsApp group with local residents and providing information about the presence and movement of the elephants to prevent further damage or conflict with villagers,” said Sahu.