Authorities are hunting a rampaging elephant that has caused at least 20 deaths since early January in the forests of Jharkhand state.

Indian wildlife officers were on the hunt Tuesday for a rampaging, wild elephant, believed to be in rut, that has caused at least 20 deaths and 15 injuries since early January in the forests of Jharkhand state (eastern India), villagers and authorities reported.

This lone male has sown terror in the rural district of West Singhbhum, causing the deaths of twenty people during a nine-day rampage since early January.

"We are trying to find and rescue this wild and violent elephant that has killed so many people," Aditya Narayan, head of government forest services, told AFP, confirming the death toll of twenty.

Children and elderly people were among the dead, as well as a professional mahout.

The animal has not been seen since Friday, despite numerous patrols in the area.

Terrified residents

Research teams, supported by drones, were combing the dense forests, including a national reserve in the neighboring state of Odisha.

Terrified, residents of more than 20 villages abandoned their farms or barricaded themselves in their homes at night, village chief Pratap Chachar told AFP.

Police officers or forest rangers visit the villagers at night to provide them with essential assistance, he said.

The wild elephants that pose the greatest danger to humans are often solitary males in rut, unleashed during the period of sexual activity when their testosterone levels are at their highest.

A former forestry official estimated that the elephant was probably in rut and that it may now have calmed down and rejoined its herd.

With the reduction of the natural habitat of wild elephants, due to the rapid expansion of inhabited areas and the degradation of the forest environment due to mining activities, conflicts between humans and pachyderms have increased: 629 people killed in India in 2023-2024, according to parliamentary figures.

A study published in 2025 by the Indian government counted a total of 22,446 wild elephants in India, compared to 29,964 counted in 2017, representing a decline of 25%.