Rourkela, Oct. 7: Two elephant calves asphyxiated to death in two separate incidents in the district.

Both the calves were barely one month old, according to officials of the forest department.

A herd of seven elephants entered the Sonaparbat area near Fertiliser Township with a two-week-old calf on the night of October 5. The herd has destroyed a lot of the standing crop over the course of its stay. The calf fell into a small stream near a crop field and got trampled under the feet of other jumbos of the herd in the dark. The injured calf remained buried in the mud and suffocated to death, said a forest official.

The villagers discovered the body in the morning and informed the forest department. Now, the villagers fear that the herd may return and cause damage.

In another incident, a calf fell into a well near a paddy field within the Kiuanrmunda forest range last night. The well was dug to irrigate paddy and was overflowing following heavy rain. The herd, which also had seven elephants, had come in search of food.

The one-month-old calf slipped into the well as the ground was slippery in the dark, a villager said. The herd tried to save it, but failed. The villagers found the dead calf floating in the well and informed Kuanrmunda forest officials. Panposh forest range officer Duryodhana Sahu said: "We are concerned about the reprisal because they are in a violent mood as they have lost a calf."

Sahu said they were with the villagers last night to help them track and drive away the herd as it came close to the village.