(WKRC) – At least 13 people have been killed by a rampaging elephant in eastern India’s Jharkhand state, as authorities struggle to contain a surge in human-wildlife conflict in the region.
The Independent reported that officials said the adult male elephant has carried out at least a dozen attacks over the past seven days in the Saranda forest belt, including 13 deaths in just two days in West Singhbhum district. Four members of one family were among those killed.
Aditya Narayan, the divisional forest officer in Chaibasa, said the elephant’s behavior has been violent and erratic, complicating efforts to track and restrain it.
“The elephant appears to have turned rogue and our focus now is to tranquilize it at the earliest. We are certain it is in musth, which explains its heightened aggression. We’re trying our best to control the situation,” Narayan said, according to The Independent.
Musth is a periodic condition in male elephants marked by elevated hormone levels and increased aggression.
The Independent reported that the Jharkhand forest department has deployed about 80 personnel to manage the crisis and attempt to steer the animal toward a safer, forested area. Wildlife experts from neighboring West Bengal have also been brought in to help guide the elephant away from populated villages.