Jajpur: A 62-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Odisha’s Jajpur district Friday, officials said.
The incident took place around 5.30 am in Bandhapalli village in Badachana police station area when Jagannath Rout came out of his house to go to his farmland, they said.
The wild elephant had Thursday night wandered out of a nearby reserve forest in search of food and personnel of Bairi-Dalijoda forest range were attempting to drive it away using sirens when Rout came face-to-face with the pachyderm.
The elephant attacked him instantly and killed him on the spot, a forest officer said.
Forest personnel subsequently took the body to Badachana Community Health Centre (CHC) for autopsy.
Locals alleged that wild elephants had previously caused damage to crops and posed threats to human and animal lives in the area.
“Wild animals, especially elephant herds, are causing extensive damage to our paddy and vegetable crops,” Ramesh Rout, a local, said.
Police have registered a case and are awaiting the autopsy report.
