Keonjhar: A herd of 23 elephants have made their way into Champua forest range from their habitation corridors in neighbouring Jharkhand, triggering panic among forest-side villagers.

Though the herd is yet to cause any damage to life and property, the villagers are spending sleepless nights fearing the worst.

"The intruders from Jharkhand were first sighted in Champua forest areas on Wednesday. Four adult tuskers are heading the herd. Their movement had halted traffic near Champua on Wednesday," said forest range officer Ashok Kumar Nayak.

The straying of elephants from Jharkhand is often reported during this time of the year. It is believed that Odisha's dense forest cover, enriched with fruit-bearing trees such as mangoes and jackfruits, attract them to venture into the jungle of Keonjhar, he said.

Last year, herds of nearly fifty elephants from Jharkhand had stridden their way into the Champua forest range, wrecking havoc in more than a dozen human settlements. The jumbos had also killed two humans and ravaged several houses in forest-side villages. The elephants on rampage had ravaged the crop fields last year. The forest department has warned the villagers not to venture into the elephant-infested forest areas. They have been told to stay alert on possible intrusion of animals and promptly inform any such incident to the forest personnel.

Skilled service groups of elephant chasers are keeping round-the-clock watch on the animals. "The elephant habitat in Jharkhand has shrunk following deforestation. The animals are no more finding it congenial for habitation. As a result, they are migrating to neighbouring Champua forest range in search of food and water. The dense forest in Champua is attracting the elephants from Jharkhand, paving the way for the frequent man-elephant conflicts in Keonjhar district," said divisional forest officer of Keonjhar Santosh Kumar Joshi.