In a heart-wrenching incident in Ekamania village, under Aali block in Kendrapara district, Odisha, over 70 buffaloes have perished, with 35 carcasses recovered and more than 35 still missing.
The tragedy unfolded in the early hours when the buffaloes, belonging to four families reliant on dairy farming, ventured to graze near a branch of the Brahmani River. The exact cause of the mass deaths remains unclear, with speculations ranging from a crocodile attack to the animals getting trapped in deep, muddy waters or strong river currents.
The affected families—Ganesh Das (30 buffaloes), Jagannath Das (30 buffaloes), and Paramananda Biswal (12 buffaloes) from Ekamania and nearby Nalapahi village—are now facing severe financial distress, as their primary source of income was the sale of buffalo milk. The incident has left the families shattered, with their livelihoods hanging in the balance. “We are ruined. These buffaloes were our only means of survival,” said a distraught Jagannath Das.
Local villagers, along with the Rajnagar fire brigade and boats deployed by the village sarpanch, Pramod Kumar Biswal, have been tirelessly searching for the missing animals. So far, over 35 buffalo carcasses have been retrieved from the river, but the search continues for the others.
The Ekamania panchayat, surrounded by rivers and prone to crocodile attacks, has long faced challenges with such incidents, making this tragedy a grim reminder of the region’s vulnerabilities.
While some villagers suspect a crocodile attack due to the area’s history of such incidents, others believe the buffaloes may have been caught in treacherous waters or muddy patches. Authorities are yet to confirm the cause.
