Wild tusker kills 11 in southern Nepal

KATHMANDU: A wild tusker, which crossed into Nepal from India recently, has killed 11 people in the past two weeks in the southern plains of Terai.

A joint team of police and wildlife guards has been searching the jungles for the elephant as panic gripped local residents who were blasting firecrackers and beating drums to keep the beast away.

The tusker, which officials believe recently crossed into Nepal from India, killed three persons in Sindhuli district and four each in Udaypur and Dhanusha districts in the last two weeks. Among them were four women, two children and a teenager who tried to worship it as Lord Ganesh.

Sindhuli District Forest Officer Yadav Dhital said wildlife officials could find any traces of the animal so far. Officials said they have contacted central authorities and sought directions on how to deal with the elephant.

Elephants are a protected species in Nepal and can be shot only after permission from the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation.