A notorious killer elephant has stalked a man and murdered four members of his family over a 14-year period, even after they moved miles away to escape its wrath. Dhurbe, a wild elephant inhabiting Nepal's Chitwan National Park, is one of the country's most infamous killers, reportedly responsible for 25 deaths and the destruction of more than 50 houses between 2009 and 2026.
Family Targeted Over Years
Shanichara Bote lost four family members to Dhurbe since 2012. Speaking to the Kathmandu Post, Mr Bote recounted his first encounter in 2012 when his parents were trampled to death in Madi, near the park. Terrified, he moved his family across the Rapti River to Jagatpur, nearly 20 miles away. But Dhurbe found them again, bursting into their home and killing his daughter-in-law Ashika, 25, and four-year-old grandson Bharat.
Mr Bote said: “We believed that moving across the major rivers would keep us safe. But after all these years, the exact same elephant found us again, raided our home and took my daughter-in-law and my little grandson. There is nowhere left for us to run.”
Tracking Fails to Stop Attacks
Dhurbe is constantly tracked with a satellite collar that pings its location every hour, but the device has failed to prevent further attacks. Abinash Thapa Magar, a representative for Chitwan National Park, said: “Prior to this tragic incident, Dhurbe had officially claimed 23 human lives. With these latest two casualties in Jagatpur, the confirmed number of fatalities attributed to this single elephant has now risen to 25. We have been utilising a satellite tracking collar to monitor the movements of this highly aggressive male elephant. Our data logs show that this location coordinates were pinned directly around the perimeter of the incident site on [July 4].“
Dhurbe has been declared a mad elephant and subject to a kill order for over a decade, but continues to evade capture and control measures.
