A wild elephant has killed at least 20 people over a nine-day rampage in the forests of Jharkhand, India, officials have confirmed.

Why It Matters

Over the years, there have been reports of human and elephant conflict, with estimates of the number of people killed by elephants reaching as high as 500. Researchers have linked these clashes to elephants losing their habitats. Shrinking forest coverage and an increase in human activity are also contributing factors.

Indian elephants are an endangered species, with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimating their population at 20,000-25,000.

Habitat loss can displace elephants, who are large and destructive. Elephants have caused millions of dollars’ worth of damage to agricultural operations, and they are often killed in retaliation, according to the WWF.

What To Know

The killings reportedly occurred between January 1 and 9, and there is one young single tusker elephant responsible. The rampage has created panic in the rural district of West Sinhgbhum.

Aditya Narayan, a government forest officer, told the AFP, “We are trying to trace and rescue this violent wild elephant that killed so many people.”

The BBC reported that among the dead are adults and children.

34-year-old Mangal Sing Hembram was attacked near his home while returning from work, 62-year-old Urdub Bahoda was killed while watching his field, and Vishnu Sundi, 42, was trampled to death while sleeping outside of his house.

On the 5th of January, a man named Kundra Bahoda was killed along with his two children, 6-year-old Kodama and 8-year-old Samu.

His wife, Pundi, said that she had escaped with her injured 2-year-old daughter and later found out that her husband and two older children had died.

Some 15 people have been injured, and villages are barricading themselves inside.

Officials have said that the elephant was young and agile. It frequently changed its location, particularly at night. This has, in turn, made it difficult to track.

Drum alerts have been used to warn residents and advise people not to go outdoors or sleep outside at night.

More than 300 personnel are involved in trying to locate the animal, with search teams using drones and tranquilizer units.

However, the animal has continually slipped away into the dense forests.  

What People Are Saying

Kuldeep Meena, a divisional forest official, told the BBC: “This is an unprecedented situation. It’s the first time such a pattern of fatalities has been linked to a single male elephant in the region.”

What Happens Next?

As of reporting, the elephant remains at large.