Elderly man injured in elephant attack in Chhattisgarh forests

RAIPUR: A 75-year-old man was seriously injured in an elephant attack in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district on Wednesday morning after he encountered the pachyderm while heading towards a forest.The incident occurred in the Bakaruma forest range under Dharamjaigarh forest division. The injured man, identified as Lalkuram Oraon (75), a resident of Sarsamar village, had gone towards the forest around 6am when the attack took place.According to forest officials, the elderly man reached compartment number 149 of the reserve forest, where he suddenly came face to face with an elephant. The animal chased him and struck him with its trunk, leaving him severely injured.

Lalkuram raised an alarm during the attack, following which the elephant retreated back into the forest. Villagers who rushed to the spot informed the forest department.Victim was shifted to hospital and officials said his family has been provided immediate financial assistance.Forest authorities said two separate elephant herds are currently moving in the Bakaruma range. A herd of seven elephants has been roaming in the area for the past few days, while another group of eight elephants entered the region from Pathalgaon side on Tuesday night, taking the total number to around 15 elephants in two herds.

Officials suspect that the attack may have been carried out by an elephant that had strayed away from its herd.Forest department has been alerting villagers about the presence of elephants by making public announcements in affected villages and keeping a watch on the elephant herds.