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Known for their love for local country-made brew like Mahuli and Handia, the jumbos would pick up liquor pots with their trunks, gulp down the drink and make merry at the cost of villagers. In their search for earthen liquor pots, the herd
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What followed later had the forest officials from Odisha tear their hair. Unable to put up with their "hang-over, the inebriated elephants" just dozed off on the border areas of Odisha covering the forest ranges of Betnoti and Rasgobindpur under Baripada forest division of the State.
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The flowers (left) of the Mahua are exceptionally sweet, and are a high quality source of sugar for honey bees and for making a traditional alcohol that is used in ritual ceremonies. Mahuli or country-made liquor brewed from the flowers of Mahua tree and
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According to B Padhi and BK Mohanty, Range officers, Betnoti and Rasgobindpur, which are the worst hit by the jumbo menace, "the situation became alarming, when these rampaging elephants began to fall asleep hither and thither, throwing local life
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However, these helpless officials had no choice but to simply wait for their migration. "We are relieved that the herd has slowly begun drifting out", they said.
Expressing concern, Panda said during the past one month at least 85-90 houses have been damaged, of which 70-75 per cent have been due to the country-made liquor. "These herds are also very fond of local variety of paddy and wheat, in sharp contrast they don't touch the high yield type", he pointed out. The department is presently assessing the extent of damage caused by the herds and accordingly compensation would be paid.
Elephant experts say such incidents are becoming more common. With
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Around 400 people are killed each year by elephants in India and nearly a million hectares of farmland damaged. Around 100 elephants are killed by villagers each year.
India's booming population and economic growth have placed the
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Latest estimates put India's elephant population at around 21,000 – the largest in Asia. About half of these are found in north-eastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya (see map at left).
Source:
The Guardian, "Elephants on drunken rampage kill three people", accessed December 6, 2010
NY Daily News, "Drunk elephant herd goes on deadly rampage after getting hold of fermented rice drink", accessed December 6, 2010
The Pioneer, "High in spirits, tuskers make merry, run amok", by Moushumi Basu, accessed December 6, 2010
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