Wild Elephant Kills 18 Year Old

A wild elephant killed an 18-year-old man who was trying to scare the animal away after it destroyed crops in a farmer’s field in southern Nepal, local police said on Wednesday.

The wild elephant had come from the Bardiya National Park and headed toward the village of Ranipur in Bardiya district late Tuesday, said police officer Gagan Soni.

“The locals informed us about the elephant and we sent a team of five policemen.

“The man had already been killed on the spot when they reached the place,’’ Soni said.

He said the elephant had used its trunk to maul the man to death.

A 31-year-old woman was killed and two men were injured two months ago when a herd of wild elephants raided another village in the same district.

Conflict between wild animals and humans has increased in recent months in Nepal, which has raised concerns about the safety of people living near protected areas.