Baripada: An elephant, which had reportedly killed four people and injured three others within four days in the villages under the Baripada forest division of Mayurbhanj district, has been tranquilised.
The forest team, led by Baripada DFO Uma Mahesh, followed the elephant and successfully shot it with a tranquillizer dart, capturing it late on Thursday night.
The lone pachyderm, which had separated from its herd and wandered into Odisha from West Bengal, was identified by forest officials. This wild elephant had embarked on a deadly rampage, resulting in the death of four individuals, including two women, over the past four days.
In the meantime, three individuals are fighting for their lives at the Baripada PRM Medical College and Hospital after the elephant’s attack. The animal also caused extensive damage to numerous homes and destroyed acres of crops in several villages.
After a tense four-day pursuit, the forest department has succeeded in tranquillizing the elephant. They now intend to move it to a secure location and release it back into the wild.
