A man was trampled to death while trying to take a selfie with a wild tusker in Odisha’s Angul district on Monday.
The incident took place around 10 a.m.in Nimiribeda village.
The elephant, which got separated from its herd, was moving near the village temple when Jayadev Nayak decided to take a photograph. While he was immersed in taking the selfie, the elephant closed in from behind and knocked him down before trampling him.
Jayadev succumbed to his injuries while being taken to a hospital, said Chitta Ranjan Behera, Inspector of the Khamar police station.
In a similar incident in September, another man was crushed to death by an elephant in Sundargarh district while taking a selfie.
Herds on the move
Elephant herds are attracted by paddy in the fields. Elephants have been found outside the forest limits in Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Keonjhar, Angul, Dhenknal, Khordha and Subarnapur districts.
A very large herd, comprising 90-odd jumbos, is at present traversing through the Nilgiri area of Balasore district, forcing villagers to spend sleepless nights. Forest department officials have been trying to prevent the elephants from straying into human habitation.
The large elephant herd had migrated from Jharkhand to West Bengal and entered Odisha a month ago.
“We have set up solar fences and dug up trenches to keep the elephants in their territory,” an official said.