A herd of five elephants went on a rampage in the Bijatala area of Mayurbhanj district destroying several houses and a primary school.
Both the forest department of Rairangpur Territorial Division and the local people of three villages Madheikacha, Kaduani and Khejuri have spent sleepless nights due to movement of the herd.
Sources said at least nine houses in Kaduani village, three houses in Khejuri village and some orchards in Madheikacha village are damaged by marauding herd.
The herd is moving out of the forests at night entering the villages in search of food and then returning to the forest at dawn.
As per reports, the houses of Sambari Murmu, Singho Murmu, Chaitan Murmu, Sudarshan Dehuri, Hari Dehuri, Baitha Dehuri, Hira Dehuri and Ata Munda of Kaduani village and Dukha Murmu, Maha Hembram and Dhandu Hembram and the primary school of Kaduani village under the forest division were damaged by the herd.
Sudarshan Dehuri said, the elephant herd reached around 11 pm from his orchard and hit the wall of the house that made a big hole and consumed the paddy stock.
“Fortunately, we the family members were sleeping in other rooms and managed to flee through another door”, he said. The elephant herd had eaten rice stored in two bags inside the room, he said.
The elephant herd also damaged the school wall of primary school of Khejuri village which the black board which made on the wall damaged too.
Forest official said the department is trying its best to drive the herd away from habitation.