Koderma: The lone elephant, which killed two persons on Wednesday night, went on a rampage in two villages under Koderma police station limits in the intervening hours of Thursday and Friday. Locals said the jumbo killed six domestic animals, injured half a dozen other animals and destroyed standing crops in Jharitand and Dhebuadih villages.Tulsi Yadav, a resident of Jharitand on Friday said, “The elephant entered our village in early hours of Friday and killed livestock.” Yadav earns his livelihood primarily through animal husbandry. “I incurred severe financial losses,” he said.Rambabu, range forest officer, said that the department is putting all efforts to chase elephant away from human settlements. He said torches and firecrackers have been distributed to the villagers. Divisional forest officer Saumitra Shukla said three dedicated teams are monitoring the situation round the clock to avert more losses. He urged appealed locals to avoid storing mahua fruits at houses. “The smell of mahua usually attracts elephants which often leads to injuries or casualties. Also, we appeal villagers to not sleep outdoors in the open or on the fields,” he added.
