Pet elephant deploys to contain depredation

Baripada, May 2 (UNI) The forest officials today deployed pet bull elephant Mahendra to contain depredations by a lone wild tusker that strayed from the neighbouring Jharkhand forests and sneaked into Orissa's Mayurbhanj district.

Karanjia Divisional Forest Officer Shiba Narayan Mohapatra when contacted said Mahendra was deployed when all efforts by forest department officials to drive away the tusker to its habitat in Jharkhand proved futile.

Mahendra was brought from the 'elephant camp' at Jenabil in Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR) and was now on the job to tame its wild kin.

The DFO said that during its 2-month long sojourn, the migrant bull has damaged few houses and crops but never attacked the people.

Meanwhile, two more cow elephants have strayed from Jharkhand and sneaked into Mayurbhanj on Saturday further accentuating the problem of depredations, Mr Mohapatra said. The bull has strayed into Mayurbhanj since last two months and was on rampage at Nebda, Khandabundh, Badposi, Sunamudi and Deujisahi villages in Mayurbhanj district, villagers claimed.

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