Man lives atop tree to safeguard himself from wild elephants

A resident of Kusumita village in Keonjhar is staying atop a tree on a temporary structure after his house was damaged by wild elephants. Pic/ANI

Odisha: A man residing in Kusumita village in Keonjhar district of Odisha is staying on a temporary structure atop a tree to remain safe in the area filled with wild elephants. The man identified as Sudya Mahakud began staying in a temporary structure atop the tree after his house was damaged by wild elephants three days ago. According to the news agency, ANI, Sudya Mahakud said, "Three days back, wild elephants destroyed my home. My son and I are living atop a tree on a temporary house to save our lives from the wild elephants as they frequently come here. A herd of wild elephants has been giving us sleepless nights."

Also Read: 60-year-old woman killed in elephant attack in Jashpur

Sudya Mahakud stated that he had requested the state government to provide him a house as compensation but he failed to receive any help. "I demanded a house from the government in compensation but they are not giving it to me," he said. "We are trying our best to compensate him, paperwork being done. We also talked to him and made him understand. He has now returned to the village. A squad has been formed by the forest department to track the movement of elephants," said Sushanta Kumar Pradhan, a Sadar Range officer. Many villagers in various districts of Odisha are disturbed by wild elephants that create havoc by destroying crops and houses.

In another incident, a five-year-old girl was killed while her parents were left injured in Raigarh district in Chhattisgarh in an attack by a herd of wild elephants. The incident took place near Ravaful village, part of Boro forest range, said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Pranay Mishra of Dharamjaigarh forest division. The girl identified as Pramila Sai died while her father Karmu Sai (45) and mother Gurbari (42) sustained injuries in the incident. "As per preliminary information, a herd of nine elephants was passing through Birhor Para locality when some villagers shouted to alert people. On hearing their screams, Karmu who lives along with his family in the outskirts fled towards the village and the three came face to face with the herd. An elephant smashed the girl to the ground, killing her instantly. The condition of Karmu Sai is critical. He is in a hospital in Dharamjaigarh."

With inputs from ANI

Also Read: Girl killed, parents injured in elephant attack in Chandigarh

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