ATTACKS BY WILD ASIAN ELEPHANTS

ATTACKS BY ASIAN WILD ELEPHANTS

Charging Asian elephant

A report by the World Wide Fund said that hundreds of people in Asia are killed very year by elephants, with up to 300 deaths in India alone. More people in India are killed by elephants than tigers. An elephant can split a man's skull a flick its trunk, and a badly treated elephant will look for the first opportunity to do so. Most attacks are blames o the “clearance of forests for settlement and agriculture is disrupting traditional elephant migration routes and leading to violent clashes between people and elephants when hungry elephants raid crops."

One naturalist documented over 160 deaths in a 2,150 square mile forest reserve in India over 15 years. Most of the deaths are caused by bull elephants who can eat up a farmer's field in one afternoon, sometimes just days before the harvest. Victims of ravaged fields, however, don't blame elephants who they see as god, they blame themselves, believing the have been punished for something.←

Sometimes elephants are very deliberate with the intent to kill. The Blair brothers wrote about a Sumatran friend of theirs who wounded a crop-raiding elephant with buckshot and then was chased up a tree. The elephant went back and forth between a stream and the tree, spaying the roots with water until the it was able to push over the tree and trampled the poor man to death. Other times it seems like villages simple get in the way. A herd of 50 or so wild elephants sometimes stray out of the forests and stampede through villages trampling people to death.

Sometimes elephant attacks can result in multiple deaths, In the early 2000s in Assam, a herd of elephant went berserk after raiding granaries and drinking country liquor, trampling to death six people, four of them children. A single elephant can kill dozens. One rogue elephant was blamed for the deaths of 27 villagers during a ten week period in Assam in the fall 1993.

Websites and Resources: Save the Elephants savetheelephants.org; International Elephant Foundation elephantconservation.org; Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; BBC Earth bbcearth.com; A-Z-Animals.com a-z-animals.com; Live Science Animals livescience.com; Animal Info animalinfo.org ; World Wildlife Fund (WWF) worldwildlife.org the world’s largest independent conservation body; National Geographic National Geographic ; Endangered Animals (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) iucnredlist.org

Elephants Attacks in Bangladesh

Elephants, a protected wildlife species in Bangladesh, often venture into villages, mostly at night, to look for food, often damaging crops. In 2001, wild elephants killed some 40 people last year in Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Chittagong Hill Tracts bordering Myanmar and India's Tripura state, police said. [Source: Reuters, February 11, 2002]

In the early 2000s, a large herd of elephants crossed the border from India to Bangladesh and made great nuisance of themselves, eating crops and rampaging through villages. Villagers set up electrified fence to protect their crops. One elephant was electrocuted by the fence. When the herd came to check him out another one was electrocuted.

In 2001, rampaging elephants killed three people in the hill country near Cox's Bazar in southeast Bangladesh. The elephants, whose forest homes have shrunk dramatically, entered villages in search of food and trampled people to death.

In May 2004, elephants in the Cox’s Bazaar area went on rampage — destroying huts, uprooting trees and sending villagers running for their lives — after a member of their herd was shot and killed by poachers. The poachers killed a young make elephant and cut off its tusks. Some elephants protected the body, making mournful sounds and chasing away any humans that tried to approach it. [Source: AP]

In February 2002, wild elephants killed three and injured 10 in Cox Bazar area. Reuters reported: “Rampaging wild elephants trampled to death three Bangladeshis and injured 10 in the country's southeastern forest region. "Two of the victims died Friday and the other Saturday when herds of elephants stormed two farming villages near a forest at Ukhia, 450 km (281 miles) from Dhaka," said Matiur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Cox's Bazar district. He said the elephants destroyed nearly 15 straw and bamboo-made houses, leaving some 100 people homeless. Forest officials said they believed the elephants strayed out of the forests when disturbed by illegal loggers. [Source: Reuters, February 11, 2002]

In November 2001, Reuters reported: “Wild elephants have killed four people and injured 15 others while rampaging through two villages in southeastern Bangladesh, forest officials said on Thursday. "A herd of some 15 elephants stormed the villages at Rangunia in Chittagong district. They pulled down a number of bamboo and straw houses, damaged crops and killed four people," one official told reporters. He said 15 villagers were injured by the elephants, which came from nearby forests that are about 350 kilometers (220 miles) southeast of the capital Dhaka. [Source:Reuters, November 23, 2001]

Elephants Attacks in China

In 2008, a woman who ran a food kiosk in Wild Elephant Valley park near Mengman in the Xishuangbanna region of southwest Yunnan near Laos and Myanmar park was trampled to death by an angry elephant. A few months later a U.S. tourist was critically injured by an elephant while trying to take a picture. In a village near the park an elephant killed a television cameraman investigating reports about crop destruction. Another villager, an old man, was trampled to death while collecting peanuts in the mud. In 2005, raids by wild elephants in Yunnan Province killed three villagers and destroyed crops belonging to 12,000 households in 576 communities.

In November 1999, The Telegraph, reported: “Rare Chinese wild elephants are terrorising villagers in the south western province of Yunnan. Forestry officials and animal experts are trying to teach farmers to keep quiet and run away from elephants after three people were trampled to death. Homes have been smashed and crops destroyed by the animals. Inexperienced villagers have been trying to scare them away with loud noises, bonfires, revving tractor engines and even by throwing firecrackers at the three-ton animals. [Source: David Rennie. The Telegraph, November 12, 1999]

Elephants Attacks in Vietnam

In 1997 AP reported: “A herd of wild elephants went on a rampage through a village in southern Vietnam, killing one villager, destroying homes and trampling crops, state-run news media reported. The roughly 20-member herd has terrorized Gia Canh, a village just north of Ho Chi Minh City, for a week, the Saigon Times Daily said. Villager Thai Can Khanh was killed when an elephant stormed through his garden, knocking him down and trampling on him, the newspaper said.

A single herd of rampaging elephants killed 12 people in Binh Thuan Province in three years through raids on crops and villages, which they had been forced to do by loss of habitat, In June 2001, Ananova reported: Vietnamese authorities plan to move a herd of elephants which has killed at least 10 people. The decision follows reports that a bull elephant killed a man in the southern Binh Thuan province. Officials say the elephants confined themselves to crop-raiding until mid-1999 when they claimed their first human victim. Armed soldiers are on guard but officials say they are reluctant to kill the elephants because of heavy penalties under environmental laws. The South China Morning Post quotes one witness to the latest attack as saying: "Following a trail of blood, we came upon his remains which were spread over an area of about 100 square metres. "It appeared that he had been thrown and trampled until his body was crushed and his remains and clothing were strewn all over a nearby hill. The attack also saw four houses destroyed and the survivors remain terrified." Local commune chief Nguyen Than said: "Everybody is living in fear. No-one can work and people are afraid to stay in their homes because they may attack again at any time." [Source: Ananovam June 15, 2001]

Jim Christy wrote in Walrus Magazine, “I was in Saigon in December 2003 when a story appeared in the Viet Nam News, the country’s English-language daily, about some rampaging elephants that had killed a number of people in the Central Highlands. The herd was incensed, the article suggested, by human encroachment on its territory. Most elephant attacks are the work of rogues cut off from their herd and driven mad by loneliness or pain. There are very few recorded incidents where the animals conspired to kill humans. In the paper’s archives, I discovered reports of other deadly attacks in several provinces going back a number of years, but mostly in the Central Highlands, near the Laotian and Cambodian borders. The stories had a common theme: jungles are the natural habitat of elephants; as the jungles are depleted and the animals have less space to forage and reproduce, they become enraged and strike back.[Source: Jim Christy, Walrus Magazine, April/May 2004]

At first, the attacks had occurred when the elephants came upon a human in the course of their wandering. Most recently, though, it seemed as though the animals had gone looking. The government tried all sorts of schemes, such as relocating them or bringing in Malaysian mahouts — expert elephant handlers — to consult. Nothing worked. The rogue herd had already been moved to the country’s largest national park, Yok Don, in Dak Lak province, but no sooner had they snapped out of their tranquilized stupor than they went on a foray beyond the park, trampling anyone they came upon and making for the village of Ban Don, where they destroyed several housesbefore returning to the jungle. It seemed very much like a warning.

That’s what intrigued me: the elephants were clearly thinking and planning. I’m aware that we love to anthropomorphize these great beasts, but I could find no other explanation for what they had done here, for their method. They had a purpose and were communicating with each other.

Elephants Attacks in Indonesia

In October 2009, the Jakarta Post reported: “A herd of wild elephants entered a village in Geumpang subdistrict, Aceh province recently, damaging three houses and ruining food crops, a local leader said. "For the past week, a herd of about 17 elephants have been rampaging through our village. They have destroyed three houses and they have eaten the rice plants in our fields," a local community chief, M Sabi, told Antara state news agency.

The three damaged houses belonged to Abdullah Saman, Yusri Yusuf and Ibnu Abbas. All three residents, along with their families, have moved to a safer place. Sabi said, in fact, two villages in Geumpang subdistrict — Gampong Pulo and Bangkeh — had been terrorized by wild elephants for the past two months. They had destroyed the villagers' crops and chased anyone who came in sight. [Source: Jakarta Post, October 28 2009]

So far, the authorities, such as the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), have taken no action to help the villagers overcome the problem. "Local residents are now forced to try to drive the elephants away by their own means, like with bamboo cannons. Every night we strike the cannon to create sounds that scare the elephants away," Sabi said. Material losses from the elephants' rampages have yet to be assessed. However, Muhammad Gapi, a local resident, said people in his area had to buy the carbide, a basic material used to fire up the bamboo cannons, with their own money. "We have to spend Rp 100,000 [US$10] each night just to buy carbide for the cannons," Gapi said.

In November 2008 AP reported: “A man was trampled to death and a home was destroyed by a herd of 16 elephants that rampaged through the village of Cot Pangee in Aceh Province on Indonesia's Sumatra island. Villagers tried to scare away the animals for days by yelling and making loud noises, but instead they became more aggressive. Authorities were trying to chase the elephants back into the forest, but it did not succeed because of the bad weather. Illegal logging and farming was blamed by environmentalists forcing the elephants searching for food elsewhere. There was another elephant rampage before when a woman and her 3-year-old daughter were trampled to death. Later a 14-year-old boy was killed by a wild elephant stepping on his head. The boy's motorbike hit the animal. In September 2009 there was an elephant attack in Pauh Ranap village, Riau province, which killed one villager and injured another. [Source: www.gmanews.tv , November 27, 2008]

Elephants Attacks in Malaysia

In April 2001, The Boston Globe reported: “A wild elephant has killed a man and his wife in a forest in Malaysia. The man, his wife and their daughter were walking home after a fishing trip near Dungun when the attack took place. Ismail Abdul Rahman, 59 and his wife Aliah Ishak 59, were attacked by the elephant and killed. Dungun is about 270 miles northeast of Kuala Lumpur. Their daughter, Siti Aminah Ismail, 36, was injured in the attack and is being treated at the state hospital in Dungun. Siti Aminah told the Bernama news agency that she warned her parents of the presence of the elephant. The animal suddenly charged at them, grabbing her father with its trunk and throwing him to the ground. It also came toward her, pushing her with its trunk before turning to her mother. "I saw my mother running away with the elephant in pursuit. I thought she would escape," she said. [Source: Boston Globe, April 13, 2001]

In December 2011, Associated Press reported: A pygmy elephant has fatally gored an Australian tourist in a remote Malaysian wildlife reserve on Borneo island. Jenna O'Grady Donley died of injuries from the attack on Wednesday at the Tabin wildlife reserve, the first known fatal attack in Malaysia's eastern Sabah state, said the region's wildlife department director, Laurentius Ambu. The wild male elephant had been roaming alone around a mud volcano when Donley, a friend and their Malaysian guide saw it while trekking near their resort, Ambu said. [Source: AP. December 8, 2011]

Donley, 25, a vet, is believed to have gone within 10 metres of the animal, which might have charged at her because it was alarmed by the unfamiliar humans, Ambu said. Rangers had not seen the elephant but planned to drive it back into the forest, Ambu said. The elephant that attacked Donley is believed to have been a near-adult about 2 metres tall. Australia's foreign affairs department said the victim was from New South Wales. There were occasional elephant attacks in Sabah, Ambu said, usually if the animals were disturbed. This was the first incident of its kind at the Tabin reserve. People should remain at least 50 metres from wild elephants, he said.

Elephants Tramples Car after It a Calf along a Highway in Malaysia

A herd of wild elephants trampled a car after it struck a baby elephant along a major highway in Malaysia. Michelle De Pacina reportedly in NextShark: What happened: According to local authorities, the incident occurred on the East-West Highway as a family of three was driving from Penang to Terengganu at about 7:35 p.m. local time on November 26. The car, a white Perodua Axia, was being driven by a 48-year-old man when it collided with the elephant calf during drizzling and foggy conditions. [Source: Michelle De Pacina, NextShark, November 29, 2023]

“The family, from Penang, were on their way to Jertih, Terengganu... Before the Titiwangsa rest and restoration stop, the car slammed into the young elephant that was walking on the road with the herd,” said Gerik Police Superintendent Zulkifli Mahmood, according to The Straits Times. Shortly after the incident, five elephants reportedly rushed to trample the vehicle. The herd only left the area “after the calf got back up,” Mahmood noted.

No injuries: Although it is unclear whether the family had been inside the car during the incident, there were no reported deaths or serious injuries. Mahmood confirmed that the driver and the other two passengers, who were aged 23 and 47, were not injured. However, authorities have not offered additional updates regarding the condition of the calf involved in the collision.

According to CNN, photos of the vehicle reveal significant damage to its front and sides, including caved-in side doors and smashed windows. Malaysia's highway development has reportedly led to increased encounters between elephants and vehicles, prompting warnings for drivers to exercise caution. “We want to advise road users on the highway to be extra careful when in the area, as there is a herd of elephants there,” Mahmood said.

Although warning signs have been put up about elephant crossings along many highways, accidents continue to occur in Malaysia. In 2020, a distressed elephant also trampled on a car on the same highway. According to local authorities, the adult elephant likely panicked after several vehicles started honking at it.

Elephant Attacks in Thailand

In July 2009, SkyNews reported: “Police are investigating a horrific attack in southern Thailand, where an elephant stomped three rubber plantation workers to death, police said. The female beast first crushed a 44-year-old male worker who was working in a farm, police Lieutenant Sonjit Ma-ou told reporters."It then freely wandered into another plantation a few miles away and attacked a 38-year-old woman," he said. "Her husband saw it charging toward her, grabbing her body with its trunk and hurling her on the ground before stomping on her body." [Source: SkyNews, July 1, 2009]

Somjit said another victim, a 51-year-old woman, was found dead in a nearby plantation later in the morning. "There was no witness in the last case, but we found footprints of the beast and from the manner in which she was killed, we believe it was an attack by the same elephant," Somjit said. The attacks happened in Trang province, where the 38-year-old elephant, named Natalie, worked pulling rubberwood. The animal was eventually recaptured by her handler. "All three victims died instantly after she stamped on their chests and stomachs, breaking their ribs," Sonjit said.The authorities were investigating whether the handler was negligent in letting the animal wander freely.

In October 2000, Reuters reported: “Thai police said they had captured a cow elephant which had fled after colliding with an oil tanker, causing the truck to plunge off the road and explode, killing two people. Following the accident, which occurred in Lampang province, 375 miles north of Bangkok, dozens of police and civilian volunteers combed surrounding hillsides in search of the injured animal. Following a blood and manure trail left by the elephant, the police and civilian hunters eventually found the animal hiding deep in a forest, a police officer said. "We first need to determine whether it is a wild or domesticated elephant before deciding what to do. If we found its owner, he would probably be charged with negligence for failing to keep the elephant in a proper place," the policeman said. [Source: Reuters, October 13, 2000]

In March 2012, a lustful male elephant seeking a mate went on a rampage and attacked its owner then collapsed from heart failure and died. The Bangkok Post reported: “Male elephant Sidor Plaiwan collapsed and died from heart failure after chasing its mahout in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. The mahout was unhurt. The 25-year-old jumbo killed its previous owner while also in a frenzy of lust, the month before. [Source: Bangkok Post, March 5, 2012]

“The elephant's owner and mahout, Somchai Yoothongkham, said he bought Sidor for 450,000 baht last month from relatives of Pichit Phocha who was killed by Sidor when it became agitated, after seeking a partner to mate with but without success. Mr Somchai later took the elephant to Phrommakhiri district to work. As the elephant showed no signs of agitation, he took it to haul rubber logs in a forest behind a village in Tambon Thonhong on Saturday.

“After hauling three logs, the elephant went berserk and tried to attack him, Mr Somchai said. He fled along a steep hill. The jumbo, with logs under its trunk, ran after him and later collapsed. Somchai alerted veterinarian Pornpirom Fungtrakul to help his animal. The vet injected the elephant with pain-relief medicine and saline solution to boost its energy. The elephant's condition gradually improved. However, its condition later deteriorated before it collapsed again and died.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated December 2024