The injured mahout at Unit-VI Hospital in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 8: A mahout (elephant trainer) at Nandankanan zoo was injured this afternoon when a trained elephant from Chandaka sanctuary attacked him.

The female elephant, Jashoda, who had been brought to the zoo along with a male called Nanda from Chandaka to drive out a rouge tusker that had strayed in Nandankanan on December 30, attacked the mahout, Arjun Khamari, 39, inside the zoo.

Sources said Khamari, a native of Mayurbhanj, along with some other persons, was treating another female elephant called Basanti that had been injured by the rouge elephant when the incident took place.

“Jashoda was being taken to the water body inside the elephant safari of the zoo by another mahout when it suddenly attacked Khamari with its trunk. Khamari fell on the ground. Instantly, those present on the spot raised a cry and managed to distract the animal,” said a zoo employee.

Later, Khamari, who suffered injuries to his legs, was rushed to Capital Hospital. He complained of pain in his chest and waist. Six elephants are now part of the zoo’s elephant safari.

Zoo sources said Khamari had a vast experience with elephants in the zoo and was well acquainted with the captive elephants. “He has served the elephants for more than 15 years and even assisted trained mahouts in Chandaka for three months,” said a zoo employee.

Employees at the safari have grown panicky following the incident.

“We fear that the captive elephants might also attack us,” said an employee of the elephant enclosure.

Wildlife biologist and researcher L.A.K. Singh said elephants could show erratic and violent behaviour due to several reasons.

“Being intelligent animals, they can remember small things and take revenge later. It can be over the supply of food materials or any punishment meted out to it. The management of relationship by the mahout is vital,” he said.

Both male and female elephants could also be under tremendous psychological stress due to unfulfilled sexual desire and it is often reflected in its activities.

“In case of male elephants, they become violent under the mast condition. This is a condition when the testosterone (male hormone) level increases suddenly and the animals behave erratically and at times, violently,” Singh said.

On November 9, 2012, an elephant named Shankar, undergoing kunki training at Kumarkhunti within the Chandaka sanctuary on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, killed its Assamese mahout. Kunki is an Assamese term referring to an elephant that is used to prevent marauding herds from destroying crops and property. Shankar, was under the mast condition.

Earlier, another elephant called Nandan was kept in confinement at Nandankanan Biological Park after it killed its own mahout in 1997.

Later, the elephant was sent to the kunki training centre on October 25, 2010. Following the training, its behaviour distinctly changed.