This archive report was first published on 1 November 2019.
Published on November 1, 2019, a major operation was conducted by forest officials in northeast India to contain a rogue elephant that had killed five villagers earlier in the week.
The male elephant, known as Laden by locals, had attacked the villagers on Tuesday night in Assam state, according to villager Rajen Rabha.
Rabha stated, "But that was not all. In the past Laden has also attacked our villages and killed people and destroyed our paddy fields," highlighting the elephant's history of aggression.
Forest officials were using domesticated elephants and drones to observe the rogue animal from a safe distance, as seen in photographs released by the Assam Forest Department.
As the natural habitat of elephants continues to shrink, nearly 2,300 people have been trampled in India in the last five years, while 700 elephants have been killed since 2011, according to official figures.
Assam Forest Minister Parimal Shuklabaidya formed an eight-person committee, including wildlife experts, to decide on the best course of action, taking into account both the welfare of the elephant and the safety of the locals.
Shuklabaidya stated, "We are yet to decide on how to deal with the animal. There are suggestions that we should tranquillize the animal and take it to a forest where there is no human habitation nearby," indicating the complexity of the situation.
