Panic grips village as tusker kills two

Berhampur: Inthe early hours of Sunday, a brutal tusker attack at Jalmeripalli village of Ganjam district tragically claimed the lives of two persons leaving Digapahandi block in a state of shock.

The victims, Urmila Rout (49) and Gopinath Pradhan (60), were engaged in tending their vegetable field on the outskirts of the village at around 6 am when the lone elephant emerged from the nearby thicket like a force of fury. Caught unawares, the two attempted a desperate escape. Fate, however, had other designs. Urmila stumbled while running, and the enraged tusker mercilessly trampled her. In a horrifying turn, the elephant then seized Gopinath with its trunk and hurled him to the ground twice leaving him critically injured. The animal retreated into the adjoining forest soon after the attack.

Alarmed by the commotion, villagers rushed to the spot and immediately shifted the grievously injured victims to Digapahandi Community Health Centre. Despite earnest medical efforts, both succumbed to their injuries, plunging their families and the entire village into mourning.

Ranger Rupak Kumar Pradhan of Chandragiri Forest Division visited the site along with his team and initiated an inquiry. Meanwhile, Digapahandi police registered two unnatural death cases. Postmortem examinations were conducted at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur and the bodies were later handed over to the bereaved families.

The incident has intensified fear across the region, as the tusker has reportedly been creating panic for the past month in Bhismagiri, Chasanimakhandi, Sahadevtikarpada and Nimakhandipentha areas. Forest sources believe the animal may have strayed from the herd of Lakhari Elephant Sanctuary in neighbouring Gajapati district, entering Ganjam through Jhatikabada forest near Taptapani.

However, Ranger Dibya Ranjan Sahu of Digapahandi said the killer elephant could also be one among a group of four elephants currently moving inside Ratanei jungle. “We are closely tracking the movement to ascertain its identity and prevent further such incidents,” he said.

Forest personnel had earlier attempted to drive the elephant back into the jungle with the help of trackers, but its recurring movement towards human settlements has raised serious concerns. Local sources point to a deeper crisis behind the growing man-animal conflict. Over the past two decades, several human habitations have reportedly come up within the fringes of Lakhari Elephant Sanctuary, shrinking the natural habitat.

Acute shortage of water and food inside the forest is believed to be forcing elephants to stray into agricultural lands and villages in search of sustenance.

As grief-stricken families mourn their loss, the tragedy once again underscores the fragile balance between human expansion and wildlife survival where shrinking forest and expanding settlements continue to turn coexistence into conflict.