An adult elephant was killed following a violent confrontation with another elephant in the forested stretch between Sagarkatta and Ronmara villages under the Tonto police station limits in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district on Wednesday.
Forest department officials said the incident occurred late Tuesday night when two male elephants, believed to have strayed from a larger herd active in the Jhinkpani area, locked horns in a fierce battle for dominance. One tusker collapsed and died on the spot due to the severity of the clash.
During the subsequent inspection, officials found that one of the elephant’s tusks was missing, triggering serious concern within the department. While tusks are known to break during aggressive encounters between elephants, the unexplained disappearance of the broken tusk has raised suspicions of possible illegal interference.
Authorities are probing multiple angles, including the possibility of tusk theft, involvement of local offenders, and the role of organised ivory smuggling networks operating from outside the region. Though no case of poaching has been officially established so far, investigators have not ruled out any scenario.
Chaibasa Divisional Forest Officer Aditya Narayan visited the site along with a special team to assess the situation firsthand.
Forest personnel have begun questioning residents of nearby villages, increased patrolling in vulnerable zones, and enhanced surveillance of elephant movement using drones and tracking devices.
The incident also led to tension in surrounding areas after a herd of elephants strayed onto the Chaibasa–Dangwaposi railway track near Jhinkpani, disrupting train services for nearly an hour. Forest staff later succeeded in driving the animals back into the forest, restoring rail traffic.
A high alert has been sounded across the forest division. Officials stressed that protecting wildlife and ensuring public safety remain their top priorities, warning that strict action will be taken against anyone found involved in poaching or other illegal activities.
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