Tuskers on grain hunt went on the rampage in Chowka and Kandra blocks of Seraikela-Kharsawan, damaging two houses late last night.

 

A herd of 11 strayed into Matkumdih panchayat in Chowka and damaged two tiled houses in the wee hours. Though no person was injured, three goats and seven hens were killed when the houses collapsed.

 

A similar incident had occurred on June 30, when a herd sniffing grain killed two people in Ichagarh block of the district. The elephants attacked the house of Ramesh Gorai and Nityanando Mahto at Dhobatawa village.

 

Villagers said that the herd, which included two calves, came to the village looking for grain. While mother elephants broke the mud walls and pulled down tiled roofs of the houses, the calves went in and brought out the sacks of paddy and devoured them.

 

Relating the episode, Gorai said that he and his family members were woken up by the commotion in his village at the dead of the night.

 

"It was about 1.30am, when cries of my neighbours woke me up. I came out of my house to find that a herd of 11 elephants had strayed into our village and are on a rampage. Before I could do something two wild tuskers broke the walls of my house and the calves devoured the paddy sacks," said Gorai, (45), in a state of shock.

 

He said: "Elephants had strayed into the village on earlier occasions also but I have not seen such a herd and it seemed that they came looking for grains."

 

Divisional forest officer of Seraikela A.T. Mishra had sent a team to the villages for an on spot assessment. He said: "It seems that this is the same herd that went on a rampage in Ichagarh. Necessary steps are being taken to drive away the wild tuskers. We are keeping a close watch on the movement of the herd and will try to find out whether pachyderms are moving towards Dalma hills or towards the Bengal border.".

 

July 14/telegraph