Bhubaneswar: The rampant littering of liquor bottles in Odisha’s forests has become a serious threat to elephant safety, according to the Wildlife Society of Odisha (WSO), a private organization dedicated to forest and wildlife conservation.

The organization reported that groups of young drinkers are increasingly using roadside forest patches in the state’s interior as drinking spots, often venturing 100 to 200 meters into the forest to avoid detection. After consuming alcohol, many discard glass bottles carelessly, leaving sharp shards that can severely injure wild animals.

A WSO survey revealed that forest patches in the Kamakhyanagar East range of Dhenkanal division, Bantala range of Angul division, and parts of Keonjhar division were littered with used liquor bottles. These areas are known habitats for elephants, where herds and solitary tuskers frequently roam.

WSO highlighted that discarded bottles pose a major danger to elephants, which often trample broken glass, resulting in deep foot injuries that can be fatal. The organization cited a case from the Hindol range in Dhenkanal last November, where a tusker with an injured foot was found near Paika Purunakot village. Local residents discovered a large shard of glass embedded in its foot, which was removed after the elephant underwent surgery. Unfortunately, the animal later succumbed to an infection in the injured foot.

WSO secretary Biswajit Mohanty noted that roadside forest stretches have effectively turned into liquor consumption dens in many areas. He urged the forest department to involve Van Surakshya Samiti (VSS) members in regular inspections and clean-up drives in forest areas up to 100 meters from roadsides. He also called for the installation of awareness boards at forest patches frequently visited by drinkers, warning against littering and outlining penalties. WSO emphasized that such preventive measures are essential to protect elephants and other wildlife from injuries caused by broken glass.

Source: Times of India