In yet another man-animal conflict, a herd of elephants, coming in search of food, damaged as many as five houses and gobbled up bags of paddy stocked in households in a village in Mayurbhanj district late on Sunday night.
Even an old man sustained severe injuries as a wall collapsed over him due to the rampage by the elephant herd.
According to information, a herd of about a dozen of pachyderms entered the Bhanjakia colony under the Raruan block in Karanjia area of the district and damaged five thatched houses. The injure old man was asleep when the wall collapsed over him.
On Sunday morning, locals blocked the Raruan-Jashipur main road demanding permanent measures against wild elephants’ coming to human habitation and free treatment of the injured.
Sources said the herd had entered the nearby Magana village and damaged properties the day before.
Though locals had informed the forest officials, yet the latter have not been able to disperse the herd into the jungle.