Hunt for bloodthirsty elephant that’s killed at least 20 people in horror rampage in India

An entire village is on lockdown after the single-tusked beast went berserk in the Jharkhand region of India. Hunters are using high resolution drones and tranquilliser darts in a bid to catch it

The hunt is on to capture a giant elephant that has killed at least 20 people. An entire Indian village is on lockdown after the single-tusked elephant went on a rampage.

The deaths took place across the forest villages of the West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, mostly occurring at night between January 1 and January 9.

Most of the victims were farmers who were attempting to protect their paddy crops when the elephant rampaged through forests and settlements.

Hunters are trying to locate and stop the elephant, using high resolution drones and tranquilliser darts. The killing has spread panic across the region, say officials.

Kuldeep Meena, the Divisional Forest Officer, said officers were trying to locate the animal, calm it down and capture it safely so they can release it back into the wild.

“It’s first time so many deaths have been caused by a single elephant in Jharkhand,” he said. “It is extremely difficult to track because it is constantly on the move, covering 15 to 20 kilometres in a single night.”

There have been no casualties for the past three or four days, suggesting the elephant may have crossed into Odisha or stopped. It had previously been seen operating close to the border, officials said.

But just in case of a resurgence, the entire area has been placed on high alert to “prevent further loss of life and property”.

He added: “One of our biggest difficulties is crowd control. People rush towards the elephant to shout, film and take selfies, which puts them in danger and makes it harder for us to move in safely.

“At the same time, this is a Naxal-affected area, so security constraints also limit where and when our teams can operate.”

Officials believe the animal is young and in its mating phase, which is typically when male elephants display heightened aggression thanks to an increase in testosterone levels.

Mr Meena added: “During this period, elephants often break away from their herds and behave unpredictably for several weeks.”

The elephant population in Jharkhand, home to Asia’s largest Sal forest belt, has fallen by 68 per cent from 688 in 2012, largely because of poaching and accidents.

Despite declining numbers, incidents of human-elephant conflict have been rising in the region for years, driven by shrinking forests caused by construction, habitat fragmentation and increased human settlement along elephant corridors.

The Indian government has announced Rs 4 lakh (£38,000) compensation for the families of those killed and Rs 1.5 lakh for the injured.

Villagers have been urged to stay out of forest areas, avoid night patrols of their fields and report sightings immediately.