Tusker takes away paddy in flood-hit Patrasayer
A tusker raided houses of farmers in flood-hit villages in Bankura and looted hefty paddy from the stack after midnight hours today.
Panic gripped both Handappa and Chhendipada forest range areas following the return of a killer tusker who has so far claimed 30 lives in five years.
Teams of Nandankanan and Odisha University of Technology have over the years made four attempts to tame it but failed.
The last such attempt was in February. The team lead by Indramani Nath of OUAT failed to tranquilise it in Chhendipada range and returned.
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Local people in Chhendipada resorted stir many times demanding the capture of the killer elephant but all efforts by forest department has so far failed.
The tusker, aged about 20 years is moving in the range areas of Athmallick, Rairakhole, Handaappa, Jarapara Chhendipada, Kaniha and Talcher areas since last five years.
Last year it killed three people in Chhendipada and Kaniha areas and damaged crops and vegetables on large scale. The tusker disappeared to the forests in October last year.
But it returned in the second week of last month at Chhendipada. “Though it has not killed anyone this time it destroyed some crops here. Normally it stays in the jungle in the daytime and at the dawn of night it ventures into the village areas. Sometimes, in the daytime it also comes to village” says Durga Sahu, the ranger of Chhendipada range.
Sahu said said the animal after staying in his areas till the last month slipped into the areas of Handappa range.
The situation in Handappa area where it is presently camping is same as people are panicked as when the wild animal will strike. “So far it has not harmed people but goes on damaging vegetable crops and houses. We are monitoring the movement and keeping close watch” said the range officer of Handappa Chaitanya Behera.
Meanwhile, there is strong resentment among the people of these range areas over the lack of sincere efforts to tame the tusker.
The RCCF of Angul circle Sudarshan Panda said his men were monitoring the movement of the killer tusker. If necessary, another attempt will be made to tranquillize the tusker as past four attempts have failed, he added.
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