Nayagarh: People of Mayurjhalia village at Ranapur in Nayagarh district have been spending sleepless nights for the last 10 days with wild tuskers wreaking havoc in the region.
According to locals, the elephants are entering the villages and destroying standing crops in their paddy fields. They also alleged that the officials of the Forest Department and the district administration are yet to step in and save them from the rampaging herd.
Man-animal conflicts have been on the rise in various parts of the state. On October 12, a wild elephant crushed an elderly man to death at alamanga village under Koida range in Keonjhar district. The incident took place when he was pedaling back home.
This was not a lone case. An elderly woman was trampled to death by a tusker in Sadar forest range of the district on September 26.
On July 2, a wild elephant had killed an elderly man at Budhikani under Bisra Forest Range in Sundargarh district.
The elephant dragged the deceased, identified as Umesh Mund (50), and crushed him under his feet while he was standing in front of his house. According to locals, this wild elephant had killed as many as 13 persons in Sundargarh district.