Villagers in Odisha’s Keonjhar district were surprised to see a herd of 24 elephants passed out after drinking the country liquor they made. They then called out forest officers, who had to come up with some novel ways to wake the wild beasts. After failing to wake the pachyderms in the usual manner, the wildlife officers played loud drums to make loud enough noises which would wake the elephants up.
The incident occurred earlier on Wednesday this week and was reported from a village near the cashew forest in Keonjhar district, Odisha. The matter came to the fore after some locals spotted several elephants sleeping peacefully in the forest. Near the elephants were broken vessels which were used to store ‘mahua’, a traditional country liquor.
A villager, identified as Naria Sethi, was quoted in media reports saying, “We went into the jungle at around 6 am to prepare mahua and found that all the pots were broken and the fermented water is missing. We also found that the elephants were sleeping. They consumed the fermented water and got drunk.”
A Times report quoted, Kartick Satyanarayan, a chief executive of Wildlife SOS, giving more insight on the elephant’s love for mahua. “They love it. It’s pure, it’s tasty, and it’s powerful,” he was quoted saying.
The Facts of the Matter
Who doesn’t like to unwind and get buzzed after a long day? As many as twenty-four elephants recently went down a drunken stupor and were found sleeping next to broken vessels that were filled with ‘mahua’, a traditional liquor. The incident comes from a village in Keonjhar district, Odisha.
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Locals Find 24 Elephants Snoozing After Booze Fest
Earlier on Wednesday, villagers residing near the cashew forest in Odisha’s Keonjhar district were stunned to spot as many as 24 elephants snoozing in the forest. After investigating the scene, the villagers came to the conclusion that the elephants had consumed mahua, undistilled country liquor. They found broken vessels that they had used to store ‘mahua’.
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“Pots of mahua broken”: Villager Gives Account of Incident
Naria Sethi, a villager who spotted the whole ordeal was quoted in a Press Trust of India report saying, “We went into the jungle at around 6 am to prepare mahua and found that all the pots were broken and the fermented water was missing. We also found that the elephants were sleeping. They consumed the fermented water and got drunk.”
Sethi also mentioned that the liquor was undistilled, which caused the elephants to get drunk and snooze in the forest. Later, the forest department was alerted after locals failed to wake the elephants up, Sethi added.
Forest Officials Use Novel Approach to Wake Elephants
Soon, officials of the forest department rushed to the spot and tried to wake up the gentle giants. Their usual way of waking the elephants up failed and they had to resort to a new approach of breaking the slumber of the elephants. The officials played drums and made noises loud enough to somehow make the elephants wake up.
As soon as the elephants woke, they rushed inside the forest.
“They love it..”: NGO Head On Elephants and Mahua
A Times report quoted Kartick Satyanarayan, a chief executive of Wildlife SOS, giving more insight on the animal’s love for ‘mahua’. “They love it. It’s pure, it’s tasty, and it’s powerful. When they smell it, they can poke their trunks into kitchens or break down walls to get to it. Once finished, they stagger back home, toppling the odd tree or house on the way.”
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