Elephant in India Photo: Debarchan Chatterjee/NurPhoto / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
Indian wildlife officials on Tuesday launched a search operation for a stray and rampant elephant, possibly in rut, which has killed at least 20 people and injured 15 others since early January in the forests of Jharkhand state in eastern India, villagers and authorities in this country reported, reports AFP, taken by Agerpres.
That lone male terrorized the population of rural West Singhbhum district after killing 20 people during a nine-day rampage in early January.
“We are trying to find and save this wild elephant that has killed so many people,” said Aditya Narayan, director of government forest services, confirming the death toll of 20. Children and the elderly are among the people killed, as well as a professional horn.
The animal has not been seen since last Friday, despite numerous patrols sent to the area. Search teams, aided by drones, are scouring dense forests, including a national reserve in neighboring eastern Odisha state.
Terrified, the inhabitants of more than 20 villages abandoned their agricultural farms and barricaded themselves in their houses during the night, said a village chief, Pratap Chachar. Teams of policemen and foresters visit the villagers at night to provide them with first aid, he said.
The wild elephants that pose the greatest danger to humans are often solitary males in rut, unleashed during the period of sexual activity when their testosterone concentration is at its peak.
A former director of forest services said that the elephant was probably in rut and that it may now have calmed down and rejoined its herd.
With the reduction of the natural habitat of wild elephants, due to the rapid expansion of inhabited areas and the degradation of the forest environment caused by mining activities, conflicts between people and pachyderms have intensified: 629 people were killed in India in 2023-2024, according to parliamentary data.
A study published in 2025 by the Indian Government counted a total of 22,446 wild elephants in India, compared to 29,964 reviewed in 2017, which represents a decrease of 25%.
