Odisha: Raging Wildfires Force Animals To Stray Into Balasore Villages

Balasore: While wildfires continued to spread in various parts of Nilagiri range and Kuldiha sanctuary in Odisha’s Balasore district, wild animals from forests are reportedly straying into the human settlements in nearby areas.

Sources said the forest department, which is plagued by manpower shortage, has failed to contain fires in Telipal area under Nilagiri range.

Unable to bear the rising temperatures inside the forests due to raging fires, elephants, snakes and other animals are intruding into Telipal village, triggering panic among people.

An elephant was seen roaming near a fringe village in Nilagiri area on Sunday afternoon. People in the locality alleged that apart from wild animals, poisonous snakes and other reptiles are forced to enter villages.

They demanded that the forest department take effective measures to keep the wildfires in check as soon as possible.

In another incident, a fire has broken out in Sikharchandi hill on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. The fire is reported to be spreading fast. The cause for the fire is not yet known. An elephant is reported to be stuck in the fire-hit area. Panicked, the animal was restlessly seeking an escape route, sources said. However, no forest official had reached there to drive out the animal when the last report came in.