Jharkhand authorities on Monday launched an urgent search for a rare single-tusked elephant wreaking havoc in West Singhbhum district. This elephant is blamed for the senseless deaths of 22 individuals since the start of January. This young male elephant, probably isolated from his herd, is behaving aggressively. It cuts through old-growth coastal rainforest and Native American small villages in the Suqumish Nation, wreaking havoc across the state.
The rampage started after the elephant attacked and killed a 35-year-old man in Bandijhari village on January 1. Today, that story has ended in heartbreak. An elephant has been responsible for the deaths of a married couple and their two small children, as well as a forest department employee. The elephant swings wildly, but unlike the first, it is difficult to track and control. That’s more than 30 kilometers a day!
According to local officials, the marauding elephant has focused on night attacks, storming into remote, small villages and surprising residents in the dark. As of this writing, they have tried three times to tranquilize the elephant and none have been successful. The first three have misbehaved enough to necessitate these reforms. These efforts are made all the more difficult by the animal’s own volatility, as its path through the forests becomes less discernible.
Considering the seriousness of the situation, West Singhbhum has been put on red alert.
“Our team is on high alert, and efforts to tranquillise it will be resumed. Villagers have been strictly advised not to go into the forests and to remain vigilant,” – Aditya Narayan, divisional forest officer of Chaibasa district.
The growing human-elephant conflict in India is alarming. In the last five years, over 2,800 people were killed in elephant interactions. This tragic incident highlights the tremendous challenge that our wildlife authorities have been struggling with. Nearly 90% of historic elephant corridors have disappeared, forcing elephants into direct contact with human populations.
After all, public safety is at stake, and the elephant is still on the loose. That’s why it is so important to monitor and safely control its movements. Local authorities are continuing the search for this potentially deadly animal in order to prevent any future tragedies.