BERHAMPUR: A herd of 30 wild elephants continue to unleash a reign of terror in Ganjam district putting the Forest Department officials in a tizzy. After several futile attempts to curb movement of the animals, the Berhampur forest division has now come up with an action plan to tackle the elephant menace. The plan has been sent to the Chief Conservator of Forests for approval. According to it, a trench of 2.5 metre depth and two metre width will be dug in all the affected villages in the district to prevent the wild animals from straying into human habitations. Low voltage electric fencing has also been suggested as an alternative. Berhampur DFO Ajay Jena said 30 forest officials had been engaged for driving out the elephants from the area. They have been divided into two squads and one deputy ranger has been deployed in each squad. Khallikote Range Officer is being deployed to supervise the operation. The elephants, in three herds, have stayed put in the area after they migrated from the Chandaka elephant sanctuary, near Bhubaneswar, in 2008. Two years ago, the elephants had killed at least six persons in the area, destroyed crops over several acres and damaged many houses. The situation had eased a little when the wildlife organisation of the Forest Department had driven away the animals by engaging two trained elephants - kunkis - and experts from Assam. Forest officials said the elephants returned to the area once again because of availability of fodder here. “The operation to drive away the elephants from the area by engaging kunkis and experts is still on,” said Berhampur divisional forest officer A K Jena. When the elephant herd was first sighted in 2007-08 in some villages of the district, it consisted of 14 elephants, but it gradually swelled to 30 now.As most of the jungle areas are now shrunk due to the encroachment by the land and timber mafia and decrease in fodder availability in forests, the tuskers are straying putting the common people in trouble, sources said. Sources added that whenever foresters chased them away, they entered the dense forests in Narayani and Barunei hills near Khallikote. Recently, when the forest officials searched for the elephants, only eight of them could be traced. Officials said the animals might have dispersed in different areas. The areas of Ganjam block like H Burudi, Rambha, Madhurchua, Diandei, Kantapada, Satuli, Kujidhepa, Malada and Lunghuri are well-known for horticulture but the elephants have been destroying all the crop. While chasing away the elephants, the villagers have often become their victims.
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