Wild tuskers push back to their habitat

Baripada, Jun 26 (UNI) Four adult wild tuskers, who strayed into the Deuli Range of Orissa's Mayurbhanj district from West Bengal, were herded back to their habitat today.

Forest officials said the bull elephants prodded through at least six villages of Mayurbhanj's Kaptisol, Jhatiada, Dimia, Dumuria, Chandabilla and Bandhapahi, located close to the borders of West Bengal and caused depredations in the villages since their entry into Orissa on Monday.

The herd, from the Tapoban area of the neighbouring West Bengal's Midnapore district had damaged as many as ten thatched houses, and swallowed paddy and rice stored in these houses, Deuli Forest Range Officer, Kalakar Mohanty said.

The pachyderms, fond of ripe jackfruit, have swallowed all the fruits available at the villagers courtyards, the forest officer said.

A team of eight forest officials led by range officer Mohanty finally succeeded in driving back the bulls back to their own wild habitat at Tapoban area of West Bengal's Midnapore district today.

The forest officials and the affected villagers had to spend three sleepless nights during their (elephants) sojourn.

The migration of the elephants takes place almost every year, as the gentle giants come to the border villages of Mayurbhanj in search of food. The migration of the wild denizens is very common and witnessed almost in successive years, the forest officials said.

UNI XC-DP PC DB1711