INDIA : A wild elephant has killed 20 people in the Indian state of Jharkhand in the past nine days, but authorities have so far failed to capture it. The deaths occurred between January 1 and 9 in a western district of Jharkhand, home to Asia’s densest forests. Such incidents have occurred in the area in the past, which authorities and researchers say is due to deforestation and increasing human activity near elephant crossings. According to officials, more than 100 personnel are currently searching for the elephant. Divisional FAST officer Kuldeep Meena said, “This is an extraordinary situation.” According to him, “This is the first time such a large number of deaths related to a single male elephant have occurred in the region.” According to him, the entire area has been alerted to prevent further loss of life and property. Kuldeep says his immediate priority is to “track the elephant and safely return it to the forest.” District Magistrate Chandan Kumar told the BBC that a forest official was among the dead. Most of the incidents occurred at night when people were in the fields guarding rice. Mangal Singh, 34, was attacked by an elephant while he was near his home. In the village of Barsingh Hatu, 62-year-old Ardab was targeted while guarding the fields. On the same night, 42-year-old Vishnu Sandhi was trampled by an elephant while he was sleeping outside his house. According to forest officials, the elephant is “young, agile and changes location frequently at night, which is why it cannot be captured.” Authorities have prohibited local people from sleeping outside their homes at night. Divisional FAST officer Kuldeep Meena says, “Initial analysis suggests that this elephant is currently in a physical state in which the animals’ testosterone levels increase, causing them to become aggressive.” Officials say this behavior may end in 15 to 20 days. They also believe that this elephant is likely behaving this way due to being separated from the rest of its companions.
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