Farmer dies in elephant attack in Odisha
Dhenkanal. A farmer was crushed to death by a wild elephant in Odapada block of Dhenkanal district of Odisha on Sunday. The deceased has been identified as Ranjit Raut. The deceased was a resident of Mangalpur village under Kantabania police limits in Dhenkanal.
A local police officer said, “For the past few days, a herd of wild elephants has been destroying crops in the village and surrounding areas. On Sunday morning, the 48-year-old deceased farmer was going to his paddy field near his village to assess the damage caused by the elephant herd. Meanwhile, an elephant suddenly attacked Raut and crushed him to death. A case of unnatural death has been registered in this regard.
The state is witnessing a rise in casualties due to human-elephant conflict. Recently, Forest and Environment Minister Pradeep Kumar Amat informed the state assembly that a total of 602 people were killed in elephant attacks in the last five years. Elephants (pachyderms) have also killed 127 cattle and other domestic animals and destroyed 9611 houses during the same period.
Meanwhile, the carcass of an elephant was reportedly found in the Koira forest range in the state’s Sundergarh district on Sunday. The real reason behind the death is not yet known. Forest department officials said that the cause of death will be known from the post-mortem report.
According to the information, 698 elephants have died due to various reasons in the state between 2015 and 2023. (IANS)
