The elephant killed a 70-year-old woman in India - and attacked again during funeral
Dangerous situations between elephants and humans are a common phenomenon in Odisha. The reason for the elephant's behavior is not yet clear.
IN EAST INDIA, an elephant that killed a 70-year-old woman returned to the woman’s funeral to bury her body, the Independent says. The incident happened in Odisha state on Thursday.
Maya Murmu, 70, died when a wild elephant appeared in her home village of Raipal in Mayurbhanji. Authorities said the elephant was lost in a village in the Dalman Wildlife Sanctuary, nearly 200 kilometers from Mayurbhanj.
Murmu, who was deported by an elephant, was taken to a hospital where he died of his injuries.
Murmu's family members gathered for the funeral and were performing the final rites when the same elephant reappeared, lifted Murmu's body from the graveyard, and trampled it on again as the shocked mourners watched.
The family was only able to continue the ceremony after the elephant left. According to the Independent, it is unclear whether the animal injured anyone else present.
The reason for the elephant's behavior is not yet clear.
DANGEROUS SITUATIONS BETWEEN ELEPHANTS and humans are a common phenomenon in Odisha. Intensive industrial activity in the mineral-rich state has increased human intrusion into animal habitats, increasing the likelihood of encounters between villagers and elephants.
Poorly ended encounters happen elsewhere in India as well. In March of this year, the woman died in an attack by a wild elephant, and her 8-year-old granddaughter was injured while trying to escape.
In May, a 40-year-old woman was deported by an elephant and died of her injuries.
Another worrying phenomenon is the increase in unnatural deaths of elephants. At least 1,356 elephants have died in unclear conditions in Odisha since 2000-2001, the IANS news agency reported.
