Maya Murmu, 70, was drawing water in the village of Raipal last week when an elephant attacked her, using its weight as a weapon. The animal would have strayed from a nature park about 200 kilometers away. The woman was taken to hospital with very serious injuries, but there was nothing more doctors could do for her.
The woman’s body was released to her family later in the day. In line with Indian tradition, he wanted to immediately organize a funeral. Strangely enough, the same elephant showed up again at that moment. According to a police officer, the animal pulled the woman from the stake, trampled her again and, according to local reports, flung the body around.
Fatalities involving elephants are not uncommon in India, where humans are increasingly occupying the animal’s traditional habitats. Every year, several hundred victims are killed by elephants. The country is estimated to have about 30,000 Asian elephants, 60 percent of which live in the wild.
