A herd of 12 elephants entered into the Athagarh forest by crossing river Mahanadi from the Chandaka-Damapada forest on Thursday morning.
When they reached Kandarpur village, hundreds of villagers were seen teasing the pachyderms by which the big animals were running here and there. However, on information, forest staff reached the spot and kept a vigil on the movements of the elephants, told Athagarh Forest Range Officer Aisha Akhatria Nisha.On the other hand, the farmers of the nearby areas remained alert to disperse the elephants if the animals try to enter into the cornfields.