Elephant herd destroys crops

SAMBALPUR: A herd of wild elephants strayed into village Kusumpuri under Sason police limits and destroyed standing paddy crops on Saturday night. The crops were ready for harvest.Villagers said although they had tried to chase away the elephants, it proved futile. It is for the first time that elephants have strayed into this area. Sources said drying up of water sources in Badrama forest range could have forced the elephants to stray into human habitation.