Villagers Count Losses as Deogarh District Grapples With Man-Elephant Conflict

Deogarh district is grappling with a serious man-animal conflict as the presence of large groups of elephants has left the local administration on its toes and villagers counting their losses.

- Mayank Bhushan Pani/ Ashok Nanda @Deogarh

Crops raids, damage to houses, and attacks have risen by the day. As of today, there are 103 elephants, including tuskers, females, and calves, roaming the forests of Deogarh district.

The frequent intrusion of elephants into Reamal block, especially Chadeimara and Tungamal gram panchayats, has left villagers in distress. While the pachyderms enter villages during the night, they raid crops over large tracts of land besides damaging other properties. Attacks on humans have also been reported on many occasions in the last few months.