Ramgarh: A 38-year-old man was trampled to death by an elephant on Friday when he was allegedly trying to film a herd of tuskers in Gobardarha village under Ramgarh police station limits.The deceased, identified as Yashwant Kumar Mahto, a resident of Chhotki Punnu village under Gomia block in Bokaro district, had come to visit relatives in Gobardarha village.Ramgarh divisional forest officer (DFO) Nitish Kumar said that despite repeated advisories from the district administration and forest department warning people against approaching elephant herds, hundreds gathered near the animals with mobile phones to take photographs and record videos.The herd had already claimed two lives at Barkipona village four days ago. Forest officials said a group of 12 elephants had moved to Gobardarha from Barkipona in Chitarpur block. A female elephant in the herd gave birth on Thursday. The elephants reportedly made several attempts to cross the flooded Damodar River to return to their traditional corridor in neighbouring Bokaro district but were forced to retreat and have since been camping along the riverbank.According to officials, Mahto ventured dangerously close to the herd to capture videos despite warnings from villagers. One of the elephants suddenly turned aggressive and charged at him. Although he tried to flee, he was caught and trampled to death on the spot.Forest range officer Bateshwar Paswan said, “The forest team is continuously tracking the herd’s movement. Villagers have been alerted and advised not to approach the elephants or attempt to take photographs and videos.”The forest department has initiated the process of providing compensation to the deceased’s family as per govt norms.
