Elephants Spotted Near Bhubaneswar Outskirts

Bhubaneswar: Two wild elephants were spotted near Bharatpur reserved forest area on the outskirts of the state capital on Saturday.

The elephants were seen taking bath and playing inside a water body for more than 45 minutes. A large number of people gathered near the place to witness the activities of the wild animals.

However, locals of the area are in a state of panic after coming to know about presence of the jumbos near the human habitations.

Allaying their fear, district forest officer Kedar Swain said there is no reason to panic since the area is surrounded by wire fencing and boundary wall that will prevent the animals from entering the human settlements.

It is suspected that the elephants might have come from Bharatpur forest as five of them were spotted in the area the previous day. However, forest and police personnel have been alerted and the movements of the animals are being closely monitored, Swain added.