Man trampled to death by elephant; Another tusker electrocuted in separate incident
Published By : Bratati Baral
| May 31, 2025 10:24 AM
Bhubaneswar, May 31: In two tragic incidents highlighting the growing human-elephant conflict in Odisha, one elderly man was trampled to death by a tusker in Angul district, while another elephant died due to electrocution in a nearby area.
On Saturday morning, panic gripped Bhangamunda village under Chhendipada Block when a 65-year-old man, Prasanna Nayak, was trampled to death by a wild elephant. According to sources, Nayak had gone near his house around 5 a.m. to collect mangoes when a tusker, already present in the area, suddenly attacked him. He died on the spot. The incident has triggered tension among villagers, who are now fearful of venturing near the forested areas.
In a separate incident reported from Talasira village under the Bontal Range of the Angul Forest Division, a tusker died after coming in contact with a live electric wire laid around a crop field. The elephant had reportedly entered the village from a nearby forest late at night in search of food. While attempting to access the field, its trunk touched the electric fence, leading to its death by electrocution.
Forest Department officials reached the site upon receiving information and have detained one person for questioning regarding the illegal electric fencing.
These back-to-back incidents underscore the escalating conflict between wildlife and humans in forest-adjacent areas, raising serious concerns over safety measures and conservation practices.
