Bokaro: The forest department on Tuesday evening issued an urgent high alert after a herd of elephants was spotted at Lugu Buru hill, raising concerns that the animals may descend into nearby villages at any time.The herd consists of five elephants that have wandering in the bordering areas of Bokaro, Ramgarh and Hazaribagh and launched attacks on several villagers, killing around a dozen of them in separate incidents over the past one month.Forest department officer Sundeep Shinde said, “Residents of Chorgawa, Murpa, Khakhanda, Gangpur, Beldih, Tulbul, Pindra, Tutijharna, Dakasadam, Seheda, Tilaiya, Naran, Lawalang, Ambadih and Keri have been advised to remain vigilant. Elephants tend to move swiftly, particularly after dark.” “Villagers have been urged to stay indoors during the night and avoid venturing outside unnecessarily. In case elephants approach habitation areas, residents should immediately take shelter in concrete houses or move to rooftops, which officials say proved to be the safest refuge in past incidents,” he said.
