An elephant has trampled a man to death after locals pelted her with stones shortly after she gave birth.
In devastating footage, the elephant can be seen prodding and trying to drag her newborn calf in Ajnashuli, in eastern India. The newborn pachyderm had apparently fallen ill and was unable to get up on its own.
Locals reportedly flocked to the scene and pelted the two elephants with stones. Enraged, the mother elephant charged at the locals. It is understood that 27-year-old Shailen Mahato was killed during the charge.
You can watch the footage for yourself below:
The mother elephant can be seen in the footage trying to protect her newborn calf after it fell ill. It’s believed she had tried to take the youngster back to the forest, but the condition of the calf meant it was not strong enough to do so.
Sensing danger from the humans, the mother elephant could be seen moving about angrily and facing the crowd. She later marked the ground with her feet, as if trying to send the locals a chilling warning. However, the locals didn’t heed the warning.
This shocking death has triggered chaos in the area. As tension rose between the elephant and the locals, ten other pachyderm elephants strayed into the area.
At least three pachyderm elephants were spotted moving through the forest, as people ran about frantically in search of safety.
Meanwhile, forest department officials have said they are keeping a close watch on the situation. They have advised they will not unable to send the mother elephant back to her natural habitat until she cools off.
Reports said the mother elephant had given birth to a calf near a dried lake. When news spread of the birth, locals headed to the area to see the calf.
However, instead of keeping to themselves and simply observing the calf, the locals began to hurl stones at both the mother and her calf, provoking her into a rage.
The agitated mother elephant is reportedly still loitering in the area, with her baby still being too weak to head into the jungle.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.