NEW DELHI: A rogue elephant has killed at least 20 people in eastern India’s Jharkhand state over the first nine days of January, as authorities launch urgent efforts to track and contain the solitary male animal moving between forests and villages.
The elephant, believed to be a solitary male separated from its herd, has been moving between dense forest areas and nearby villages, launching nighttime attacks that have left local communities terrified. Officials say the animal killed 13 people within just two days.
According to BBC, specialised wildlife teams from Jharkhand and neighbouring states have been deployed in a coordinated search operation, but efforts to capture or tranquillise the elephant have so far been unsuccessful. The animal’s ability to cross state borders and vanish into thick forest cover has made tracking especially challenging.
The latest fatalities were reported on January 12, when two people were killed before the elephant moved into parts of neighbouring Odisha. Forest authorities have since placed the region on high alert and set up a special task force to coordinate surveillance, crowd control and emergency response.
Experts believe the elephant may be in musth, a natural hormonal phase in male elephants that can trigger heightened aggression. Officials also point to shrinking forest cover and disrupted wildlife corridors as underlying causes of the growing human-elephant conflict in eastern India.
“The elephant is extremely difficult to monitor as it moves rapidly through forested terrain and across state boundaries,” a Jharkhand forest department spokesperson said. “Our priority is to prevent further loss of life while safely managing the animal.”
Residents have been urged to remain vigilant, avoid forested areas at night and immediately report sightings to authorities as operations continue.
