A wild elephant, which was separated from its herd of over 30, killed a villager in Bankura’s Beliatore on Wednesday morning.
This is the third death caused by an animal of the same herd.
Kalipada Bauri, a day-wage earner of Sagarkata village of Beliatore range of Bankura, was seriously injured by an elephant when he was going to his paddy field.
Bauri was taken to a local hospital first. He was then admitted to Bankura Sammilani Medical College and Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
“A middle-aged person was killed by an elephant this morning. This is the same herd that entered Bankura from Paschim Medinipur last week,” said S. Kulandivel, the chief conservator of forest (CCF), Central Circle.
Sources said the foresters in Bankura had been spending sleepless nights since last week after a new herd of around 30 elephants had entered the district from Paschim Medinipur. The animals have been split into a few groups and have been roaming in various areas of the North Forest division of Bankura.
On January 10, an elephant from the herd killed two persons in Bankura’s Barjora. Officials said around a hundred small teams of local foresters have been formed to track the movement of the herd.
“It has been difficult to manage the herd as the animals are loitering near the human habitations,” said a source.
