Two people have been killed in separate elephant attacks in a single night, sending a chill through several villages, as the danger of human-elephant conflict continues to grow in the area.
The first death was reported at Sakalpur in Pratappur on the attack was suffered in the vicinity of an elephant that killed the man. The incident has fueled further worries of the local populace, who are now more worried about the approachability of elephants to residential settlements.
Another unfortunate incident occurred in Sonpur village of Salka beat in Surajpur forest range. One inhabitant was castrated and killed when an elephant attacked him as he tried to stop it from damaging his paddy field and taking away his belongings, near his house.
Available information says that the victim, Lalsai’s son, Mattul age 40 living in Pandopara Gram Panchayat in Sonpur, was sitting with his crop, when the elephant attacked.
His passing has left the family in mourning in a tragedy that still hasn’t been resolved. The two incidences on the same night have sparked terror among the villagers of the affected areas.
Now residents worry about their safety, especially people who live near forested areas and people who venture outside at night to guard crops. With the number of incidents involving elephants on the rise, it has once again made its way onto the agenda as regards safety of people and animals when living areas and elephant habitats are in direct contact.