Tusker kills two men in Chhattisgarh village; 6 dead in a week (Raipur)
Rashmi Drolia, Times of India
September 14, 2021
Wild elephants have exacted a heavy toll on human life in Chhattisgarh’s
Mahasamund district this week. Two persons were killed by the same tusker
on Sunday night, taking the death count to six in the district in as many
days.
In a chilling trend, one of the victims was on a bike. Several such
incidents have occurred in the last few weeks in the state, including a
particularly heart-rending one in Surguja four days ago when a herd of
elephants killed a couple and their four-year old son after kicking them
around for 100 metres. They were on a scooter.
Like the family, Mahasamund resident Raju Vishwakarma may have surprised
the elephant. He was riding a motorcycle with two others when they were
attacked by an elephant while crossing Gaurkheda village, Mahasamund DFO
Pankaj Rajput said.
According to the survivors, the tusker barred their way and then charged at
them.
The one driving the bike was so rattled that he crashed while trying to do
a U-turn. The elderly Vishwakarma couldn’t get away fast enough. The
elephant coiled its trunk around him, hurled him on the ground and then
trampled him to death even as his companions fled in terror.
About an hour later, a few kilometres away, the same elephant killed a
30-year-old farmer, Parmeswar guarding his crops. This region is less than
100km east of Raipur. On September 7, another biker was killed by an
elephant in Bandora village, around 40km from the site of Sunday’s twin
attacks.
Forest officials are alarmed by the spurt in elephant attacks in
Mahasamund. Six of the eight human deaths in the district this year have
happened in the last week, making officials wonder what triggered the
spike. Last week’s toll is nearly a quarter of the 26 deaths in
human-elephant conflicts in Mahasamund since 2015. Nearly 50 were wounded
in this period.
Officials said alerts are being sounded from time to time about the
presence and movement of elephants so that people stay indoors and don’t
come across a herd or a loner, especially after dusk.
The kin of those killed on Sunday night were given Rs 25,000 each as
immediate assistance. They will be given the full compensation, said
officials.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/raipur/tusker-kills-2-men-in-cg-village-6-dead-in-a-week/articleshow/86185506.cms
Tusker kills two men in Chhattisgarh village; 6 dead in a week (Raipur)
Rashmi Drolia, Times of India
September 14, 2021
Wild elephants have exacted a heavy toll on human life in Chhattisgarh’s
Mahasamund district this week. Two persons were killed by the same tusker
on Sunday night, taking the death count to six in the district in as many
days.
In a chilling trend, one of the victims was on a bike. Several such
incidents have occurred in the last few weeks in the state, including a
particularly heart-rending one in Surguja four days ago when a herd of
elephants killed a couple and their four-year old son after kicking them
around for 100 metres. They were on a scooter.
Like the family, Mahasamund resident Raju Vishwakarma may have surprised
the elephant. He was riding a motorcycle with two others when they were
attacked by an elephant while crossing Gaurkheda village, Mahasamund DFO
Pankaj Rajput said.
According to the survivors, the tusker barred their way and then charged at
them.
The one driving the bike was so rattled that he crashed while trying to do
a U-turn. The elderly Vishwakarma couldn’t get away fast enough. The
elephant coiled its trunk around him, hurled him on the ground and then
trampled him to death even as his companions fled in terror.
About an hour later, a few kilometres away, the same elephant killed a
30-year-old farmer, Parmeswar guarding his crops. This region is less than
100km east of Raipur. On September 7, another biker was killed by an
elephant in Bandora village, around 40km from the site of Sunday’s twin
attacks.
Forest officials are alarmed by the spurt in elephant attacks in
Mahasamund. Six of the eight human deaths in the district this year have
happened in the last week, making officials wonder what triggered the
spike. Last week’s toll is nearly a quarter of the 26 deaths in
human-elephant conflicts in Mahasamund since 2015. Nearly 50 were wounded
in this period.
Officials said alerts are being sounded from time to time about the
presence and movement of elephants so that people stay indoors and don’t
come across a herd or a loner, especially after dusk.
The kin of those killed on Sunday night were given Rs 25,000 each as
immediate assistance. They will be given the full compensation, said
officials.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/raipur/tusker-kills-2-men-in-cg-village-6-dead-in-a-week/articleshow/86185506.cms
