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Sunday, May 06, 2007
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National

Wild elephants go on the rampage

Sib Kumar Das

A tribal and his daughter have been killed in Gajapati district

— PHOTO: ASHOKE CHAKRABARTY

RARE VISITORS: A herd of elephants strayed into the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology area in Bhubaneswar from the Chandka forest. People thronged the campus to witness the rare incident on Saturday. The tuskers had obviously come looking for water and food in the scorching heat. In a separate incident in the State, a man and his daughter were killed and three injured in an attack by elephants at Badiganguda village, 35 km from Parlakhemundi.

BERHAMPUR: Wild elephants continued to terrorise human habitats in Orissa. While a herd that entered the city limits of Bhubaneswar on Thursday continued to cause panic to its inhabitants, two persons were killed by another stray herd in Gajapati district on Friday night.

In Bhubaneswar traffic was restricted along the main road passing in front of Kalinga Studio and Silviculture Research Stations on Saturday as a herd comprising a tusker, four females and a calf stopped shooting of a film and injured a forest guard along with a few media persons and curious onlookers at the Kalinga studio. This herd had strayed from the Chandaka sanctuary, which has 65 elephants. In November last year a herd of 18 elephants from the sanctuary had struck panic in the city.

In Gajapati district a herd of around 11 killed tribal Apudu Sabar (35) and his 10-year-old daughter Champa Sabar at Badigaonguda village on Friday night. Apudu's wife, Oralu Sabar was seriously injured. This tribal family was guarding a cashew orchard.

According to S.N. Mohapatra, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Paralakhemundi division, this is the same herd that created havoc at Gunupur area of Rayagada district last month.

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