Girl, 8, trampled to death by elephant charging towards her with herd

An eight-year-old girl, identified locally as Citra, died on November 3rd in Riau province after being trampled by a wild elephant. The incident occurred on October 30th when Citra was fleeing her home with her family as a herd of ten elephants approached. During the escape, the girl reportedly fell and was trampled by one of the charging elephants, sustaining severe head injuries that led to a three-day coma before her death. Authorities are working to safely guide the elephants back to their natural habitat to prevent further endangerment of local residents. Officials have urged the community not to act aggressively towards the elephants, acknowledging the fear and shock caused by the event. Experts suggest that the tragic incident may stem from decades of human-induced trauma experienced by elephants in Riau, including displacement and frightening encounters. This trauma can lead to altered and more aggressive behavior in the animals. A deeper contributing factor is the ongoing loss of elephant habitats due to the expansion of plantations and factories, forcing elephants into closer proximity with human settlements in search of food. When elephants encounter human dwellings, they may enter to forage, and if they have prior negative experiences with humans, they can react defensively or seek retribution. There are rising concerns that local residents might ret... download the app to read more