Tragic Elephant Attack in Chhattisgarh Highlights Human-Wildlife Conflict Concerns

A 45-year-old man was killed and another injured after a wild elephant attacked them in Chhattisgarh's Jashpur district. The elephant, separated from its herd, entered the region from Jharkhand. Local villagers rescued the injured man. Human-elephant conflicts have been a rising concern in the state.

A 45-year-old man was killed and another injured after a wild elephant attacked them in Chhattisgarh's Jashpur district, officials said.

The incident occurred in the morning in Mariam Tola forest near Aagdih village where the duo came face to face with the jumbo, said Jashpur Divisional Forest Officer Jitendra Upadhyay.

Citing preliminary information, he said that the elephant got separated from its herd in neighbouring Jharkhand and entered Jashpur.

The big mammal attacked the duo, killing Asit Tigga and injuring his associate Arvind Tigga seriously, he said.

Local villagers evacuated Arvind from the spot and admitted him to a hospital from where he was shifted to Ambikapur hospital in neighbouring Surguja district for further treatment, he said.

The kin of the deceased have been provided an instant relief amount of Rs 25,000, the official said, adding that efforts are on to push the elephant into the forest.

Human-elephant conflicts in the state, particularly in the northern part, had been a major cause for concern in the last decade. Gradually, it has spread to some districts of the central region in the last few years.

The districts mainly facing human-elephant conflicts are Surguja, Raigarh, Korba, Surajpur, Mahasamund, Dhamtari, Gariaband, Balod and Balrampur. According to the forest department, more than 300 people have been killed in elephant attacks in the state in the last five years.

(With inputs from agencies.)