“We have nowhere left to run”

A wild elephant that roams into human settlements has killed a couple from a family, and 14 years later, has killed their daughter-in-law and grandson, who had fled in fear. The incident has raised questions about Nepal’s wildlife management system, which is struggling to cope with the increasing human-wildlife conflict. The elephant, known as ‘Derby’, killed the parents of Shani Chara Bote near Chitwan National Park in 2012. Fearing further attacks, Bote and his family fled across the Rapti River and settled miles away in Jagatpur. However, earlier this month, Derby the elephant arrived at their new settlement and killed Bote’s 25-year-old daughter-in-law, Ashika Bote, and his four-year-old grandson, Bharat Bote. “We believed that if we moved across the big river, we would be safe, but after so many years, the same elephant found us, destroyed our home and took the lives of my daughter-in-law and grandson,” Bote told the Kathmandu Post. “We have nowhere left to run.” Abhineash Thapa Magar, information officer at Chitwan National Park, said Derby has killed at least 25 people since 2010 and is the most closely monitored rogue elephant in the area. Among Derby’s victims were two soldiers deployed for anti-poaching operations inside the park. “We are using satellite tracking collars to monitor the movements of this highly aggressive bull elephant,” Magar said. “Our data directly shows this bull is in the vicinity of the incident that occurred on July 4,” he added. Experts point out that Derby’s case reflects the growing problem and challenges faced in areas where human settlements are expanding and encroaching on elephant habitats. Bull elephants tend to leave their herds after reaching maturity. Young bulls are often driven away by dominant older bulls and begin to live alone in the fringes of forests and villages, increasing the likelihood of encounters with humans. In the Chitwan region alone, 127 people have died due to wildlife attacks in the past 11 and a half years. Fourteen years ago, when Derby killed Bote’s parents, authorities launched an operation to capture or kill the elephant. In the crackdown, which involved 93 soldiers, Derby was shot twice and wounded but was not found again. Derby reappeared in 2016, and a tracking collar was fitted. However, the collar stopped working, and a second and third collar were fitted in 2020 and 2023 respectively. The tracking device transmits location data once per hour. According to Bote and villagers, Derby had been roaming near their settlement for days before the latest attack. “This animal moves in a circular route and returns to the villages annually, so the park authorities could have predicted its movements entirely,” park official Lal Bahadur Dawadi told the Kathmandu Post. During the attack, Bote’s wife set fire to hay near their house, managing to save other family members, but their house was completely destroyed. Bote’s family now consists of nine people, and they said they have no other place to relocate. Translated by Mosay from Independent’s “Nowhere left for us to run’: Same wild elephant returns to village to kill four members of a family over 14 years”