Hunt on for killer elephant in Meghalaya

SHILLONG: Meghalaya forest officials have launched a major hunt to find a marauding elephant that has claimed four lives in Selsella in West Garo Hills.

A wild elephant has been on a rampage in Selsalla since the last few days, Tura Deputy Commissioner F R Kharkongar said.

He said it had killed a pregnant woman and her four-year-old son on Thursday, while an old woman was killed by the tusker last evening.

The casualty figure stood at four, with the unborn child of the dead pregnant woman also counted, though the ex-gratia will not be paid for the unborn child, he clarified.

Ex-gratia of Rs one lakh to next of kin for each of the other three victims has been paid today, he added.

Kharkongar said the forest department has launched an operation to nab the elephant, with a conservator of forests leading a team of forest officials and a magistrate to track and contain the pachyderm. The people would also have to be kept calm, he said.

The administration, in consultation with the forest department, was also contemplating declaring the elephant as a rogue one depending on the report of the team out to track it.

Whether the elephant could be shot as a last resort is yet to be finalized and would depend on the forest teams assessment. But the priority now is to contain it and ensure there are no more casualties, Kharkongar added.