Berhampur: A herd of seven elephants, including one tusker and two calves, have moved closer to Digapahandi town in Ganjam district, causing panic in the area.
The herd was located at Chanchadapalli on the outskirts of Digapahandi town on Thursday evening. "It has moved about 3km towards the Central Nursery of the Digapahandi Forest Range by Friday morning," Digapahandi forest ranger A. Madhabilata said. "As the elephants would not move during day time, we wait for their movement till the evening. We are keeping a strict vigil over the herd," he said.
The elephants have eaten up 56 bags of paddy of five farmers at Chanchadapalli, said Batsha Swain, a farmer. "We are in great panic," he said.
Ananta Narayan Kar, a wildlife activist, demanded that forest department officials must ensure that the herd returned to their forest cover unhurt.