Keonjhar: During an operation to drive a wild elephant herd back into the forest at Jharbeda village within the Sadar forest range of Keonjhar district, a tusker trampled a member of the elephant squad to death.
The deceased has been identified as Basant Mohanty from Gobindapur village.
Sources report that late Wednesday night, a group of seven wild tuskers wandered into Jharbeda village. The elephants began feeding on the crops, prompting villagers to notify the forest department.
A forest department team, along with the elephant squad, arrived at the scene to herd the elephants back into the forest. During the operation, Basant was assaulted by one of the tuskers.
While the rest of the team escaped unharmed, Basant was tragically killed by the tusker, that slammed him against a tree. It is reported that Basant had been a dedicated member of the elephant squad and was his family’s sole breadwinner.
