After a few days’ calm, again a herd of about 35 elephants has started camping near Baragaon and spread panic with its damaging act since Friday night.
Sources said the tusker herd coming through Kaliposh jungle has entered into Salikara village. They first crushed the potato crops at the entry site of the village and damaged four rooms of Natabar Majhi’s house, besides consuming a huge quantity of paddy. Natabar and his family members narrowly escaped from the attack of the pachyderms.
The herd also crushed the vegetable cultivation of Majhi. Other potato cultivators who suffered losses were Prakash Majhi, Anirudha Chhatria, Dubraj Munda and Banamali Munda. Sources further said the elephant herd was roaming in Jarangloi, Baliposh, Bhojpur and Beheramal jungles of Bargaon for last five days and coming out in the open crop field in evening.
Sundargarh forest department officials said they are watching the movement of the elephants very closely and making all efforts to drive them away.