A young man was killed in the Indian state of Jharkhand after he ventured too close to a herd of wild elephants in an attempt to click a selfie with them.
Disturbing video footage from the incident, which took place in Ramgarh, has emerged on social media, showing an aggressive elephant from the herd, hurling, slamming and trampling the man to death.
The Forest Department said warnings had been issued earlier and urged people to maintain a safe distance from wild animals.
According to the Forest Department, a herd of more than 24 wild elephants had been roaming the area for the past few days. People from nearby villages had gathered to watch the elephants, with many recording videos, photos and reels on their mobile phones.
On Tuesday, some of the young individuals ventured dangerously close to the herd in the Sarubeda area. Although several people warned them against doing so, the warnings were ignored.
Agitated by the human presence, one wild elephant suddenly turned aggressive and charged at the group. Panic ensued as people ran to save their lives. However, one of the men failed to escape in time and came under the elephant's attack. The animal grabbed him with its trunk, repeatedly slammed him to the ground and trampled him, killing him on the spot.
The following video is graphic in nature. Viewer discretion is advised:
The deceased has been identified as Amit Rajwar, around 35 years old and a resident of the West Bokaro OP area. Following the incident, a large crowd gathered at the site. Ranger Bateshwar Paswan confirmed the incident, stating that a Quick Response Team (QRT) was immediately dispatched, but the victim had already succumbed to his injuries. Efforts are now underway to drive the elephants back into the forest.
The Forest Department said residents had been warned two days earlier not to approach wild elephants. Ignoring the warnings proved fatal. The department has once again appealed to the public to maintain a safe distance from wild elephants and avoid risking their lives.
Rajware was one of five people, including including two women, who were trampled to death by wild elephants in separate incidents that took place across Jharkhand over the past 24 hours, underscoring the growing human–wildlife conflict along forest fringes, officials said on Wednesday.
In Ramgarh district, three people were killed in the Sirka forest area, while another death was reported from Jidu village in Ranchi's Angara region on Tuesday night, officials said. A fifth victim, a 36-year-old man, was also killed in a separate incident during the same period.
