Nilagiri: A large herd of 65 elephants from neighbouring Jharkhand has strayed into the forests near the Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary under Nilagiri sub-division in Balasore district, triggering panic among the residents of nearby villages.
The herd, comprising 10 tuskers, 37 female elephants, and 18 calves, was spotted in the reserve forests of Gopalpur and Tinikosia on the foothills of Kuldiha under the Nilagiri sub-division.
With paddy harvesting complete and little food left in the fields, the elephants have begun moving into the villages on the fringes of the forests. This has sparked panic and concern among the residents of possible damage to properties and man-animal conflict.
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Forest authorities said the elephants crossed over to Odisha from Jharkhand’s Dalma forest, a seasonal migratory route since 2010. The elephants recently spent a few days in Mayurbhanj before entering the Gopalpur reserve forest in Nilagiri in the early hours of Tuesday.
They crossed the roads in Durga Devi, Pundala, Kathapala, Patana, Ayodhya in the area to enter Gopalpur reserve forest.
By evening, the herd had split into two or three groups and moved toward the Tinikosia reserve forests.
Forest officials have been monitoring the elephants’ movements around the jungle’s periphery. Local villagers from areas like Narayanpur, Bhaunriabada, Jamudiha, Siadimal, Sajanagarh, Garardi, and Ayodhya are living in fear, worried about the elephants entering human settlements during the night.
Preventive infrastructure, such as trenches and solar-powered fences built a decade ago to deter elephants from entering villages, are no more in working conditions. Some trenches are now filled in, while many solar fences are either damaged or non-functional.
Despite government assurances of compensation for elephant-related damages, villagers claim the aid is inadequate and often delayed. After reports about the herd’s movement surfaced, many residents stayed awake, lighting torch and standing guard to protect their homes Monday night.
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Madanmohan Majhi, a retired chief general manager with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and local resident, emphasised the need for urgent repairs to the broken solar fencing and excavation of collapsed trenches. “Protecting people from elephants and the vice versa is equally important,” he said.
In the meantime, a team of more than 25 Forest sleuths, including range officers, foresters, guards, and ‘Green India Mission’ volunteers have been deployed around the area under the supervision of range officer Aishi Akhtari Nisha to monitor the herd’s movement.
Nisha assured that compensation will be provided for any damage caused by the elephant herd, if any.
PNN
