World of the Bizarre

Elephant kills woman, then returns to crash her funeral

By T.K. Randall
June 19, 2022

Image: African Bush Elephants (illustrative)
Credit: Gorgo / (PD) The disturbing incident, which occurred in Odisha, India, saw 70-year-old Maya Murmu - who had been collecting water - being trampled to death by an elephant that had emerged from the nearby Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary.

Sadly, despite the best efforts of local doctors, the woman could not be saved.

Incredibly, however, while her family was conducting last rites at her funeral a few days later, the exact same elephant came charging in, grabbed her body off the funeral pyre and trampled on it a second time before throwing it around like a ragdoll.The victim's terrified relatives had to wait several hours for the elephant to leave before they were able to complete her last rites.

It isn't clear exactly why the elephant had taken such exception to this woman specifically, however confrontations between elephants and local residents have been on the rise in recent years due to deforestation and the encroachment of human activities onto the elephants' natural habitat.

Efforts are currently underway to build more corridors for the animals to move around without coming into contact with humans, however avoiding confrontation entirely is likely to be a losing battle.

Source: Telegraph

Tags: Elephant