Two forest staffers injured in elephant attack in Ganjam
- Berhampur: Two forest personnel were injured after wild elephants attacked them at Amba Jhari forest under Tarsingi forest range in Ganjam district on Saturday.
- Forester Kishan Mallick and forest guard Kailash Nayak were injured when a herd of seven jumbos attacked them, while they were tracking the movement of the herd along with other members of the elephant squad. The injured forest personnel were admitted at the sub-divisional hospital, Bhanjangar, and their condition was stated to be stable.
- "While other forest personnel fled from the spot, these two fell down and sustained injuries," said Sudarshan Behera, divisional forest officer (DFO), Ghumaysa North division.
- As many as 19 elephants are camping in Tarsingi range, while a total of 44 pachyderms are moving in the entire forest division.
- Behera said elephants from neighboring Nayagarh and Kand Hamal districts have migrated to the area due to the availability of water, food and forest. Despite their constant efforts to drive them away, the elephants are camping in Ghumaysa North division for the past few months. The elephants have damaged standing crops and harvested paddy in several areas. The DFO said they have provided compensation of Rs 37.18 lakh to 1,154 people for crop loss and death of a person in elephant attack in 2022-23.
- Five elephants have also died in Ghumaysa North due to different reasons, including poaching. On July 5 last year, poachers shot dead a tusker and cut off its tusks in Muzagarh forest range under the division.