A 25-year-old man was critically injured after being attacked by a wild elephant when he tried to click a selfie with the animal in Jharkhand’s Dumka district, officials said on Saturday.
Vishal Singh tried to click a selfie with the elephant while riding his bike on Friday in Dumka town, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sourav Chandra told PTI.
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The sub-adult elephant strayed away from its herd around a month back and was wreaking havoc in villages in the district, he said.
“We have tracked the elephant at the Masalia area of Dumka, which is about 20 km from Jamtara. It is on the way to its natural corridor,” Mr. Chandra said.
When Mr. Singh tried to click a selfie, the elephant caught him with the trunk and injured him.
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Mr. Chandra said the Forest Department had constituted two quick response teams with the help of local community members to track and drive the elephant to its natural corridor.
The injured man has been referred to a hospital in Ranchi from the Dumka hospital, officials said. His condition is stated to be critical.
Terror-stricken inhabitants of the area spent a sleepless night on Friday out of fear of the elephant. Villagers are said to have pelted stones in an attempt to drive it away.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren directed Dumka Deputy Commissioner to ensure that the elephant was sent to the forest area.
The tusker was spotted at Bandha hill, about 10 km from Dumka, on May 13. The area is inhabited by Paharia tribals.
The DFO said Forest Department officials had been appealing to people to not disturb the tusker’s movement.