Elephant Kills Woman and Returns to Her Funeral to Attack Her Corpse
It’s the kind of story that sounds like it came straight out of a horror movie: a wild elephant not only kills a woman but returns during her funeral to attack her corpse.
Yup, you read that right. This isn’t some urban legend or a twisted tale from a late-night campfire—it actually happened.
And it’s got everyone from villagers to wildlife experts scratching their heads, trying to make sense of it all.
A Tragic Day in Raipal Village
On June 9, 2022, Maya Murmu, a 70-year-old resident of Raipal village in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, was doing something as ordinary as collecting water near her home.
That’s when things took a terrifying turn.
A herd of about 12 elephants emerged from the nearby forest.
As any of us would, Maya tried to run, but one of the elephants chased her down and trampled her. Despite being rushed to the hospital, she succumbed to her injuries.
Later that evening, as her family and neighbors gathered for her funeral, the same herd of elephants reappeared.
The villagers scattered in panic, leaving Maya’s body unattended on the funeral pyre.
In a chilling moment, one elephant approached her corpse, picked it up, and threw it into the air, further desecrating it.
The herd didn’t stop there—they went on to destroy Maya’s home and damaged three neighboring houses.
Miraculously, no one else was harmed, but the fear and chaos were overwhelming.
“We were terrified after witnessing the elephant herd on Thursday evening,” a villager told The Times of India.
“We have never had such a ferocious elephant bunch earlier.” Can you imagine the horror? You’re mourning a loved one, and suddenly, you’re running for your life while an elephant disrupts a sacred ritual.
It’s heartbreaking and terrifying all at once.
Where Did This Elephant Come From?
The elephant responsible for this attack had wandered over 100 miles from the Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary in Jharkhand, a protected area known for its significant elephant population.
Raipal village, located in the Rasagobindpur block of Mayurbhanj district, is surrounded by dense forests, making it a hotspot for human-wildlife interactions.
Elephants often stray from sanctuaries like Dalma in search of food or water, but this particular incident stands out for its sheer brutality.
Human-elephant conflicts are not new to Odisha.
The state’s forests are home to thousands of elephants, but habitat loss due to deforestation and human encroachment has pushed these animals closer to villages.
According to the Odisha forest department, at least 1,356 elephants have died unnaturally in the state since 2000-01, with 42 deaths recorded in just seven months from April to October of the previous year.
These numbers paint a grim picture of the challenges both humans and elephants face in this region.
The Mystery of the Elephant’s Behavior
So, why would an elephant do something so shocking? Honestly, no one knows for sure.
Elephants are intelligent, social creatures, but attacking a corpse is almost unheard of.
Some folks on social media have come up with wild theories.
One X post captured the confusion, saying, “Whatever that woman did to that elephant is the biggest mystery of the decade.”
Others speculated that Maya might have been part of a poacher group that harmed the elephant’s calf, but there’s no evidence to support this claim.
Wildlife experts are just as puzzled. Dr. Y, an elephant behaviorist, offered some insight: “Elephants have complex social structures and can exhibit protective behaviors, but attacking a corpse is extremely rare.
It might indicate that the elephant was in a state of heightened stress or had a specific reason to target that particular individual.”
Could it have been a case of mistaken identity? Or was the elephant reacting to something we’ll never fully understand? I’m no expert, but I can’t help but wonder if this was just a tragic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A Community in Shock
The incident has left Raipal village reeling.
Funerals in Raipal are sacred in Indian culture, and the disruption of Maya’s funeral added an extra layer of trauma for her family and community.
The forest department has stepped in to help, announcing a compensation of Rs 4 lakh (about $5,000) for Maya’s next of kin, with an initial Rs 10,000 provided for funeral expenses.
Rabi Narayan Mohanty, Assistant Conservator of Forests in Baripada, is involved in the investigation, but details about the elephant’s motives remain elusive.
A video published by The Times of India captured the chilling moment when the elephant approached Maya’s body, with villagers shouting in the background as one elephant chased a person.
The footage is a stark reminder of the raw power and unpredictability of these animals.
A Growing Crisis in India
This tragedy is part of a larger pattern of human-elephant conflicts across India.
In March 2022, a woman was killed by a wild elephant in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district, and her grandson was injured.
In May, another woman was trampled to death in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district.
These incidents highlight a growing crisis driven by habitat loss, climate change, and the expansion of human settlements into elephant corridors.
According to Newsweek, the development of land and changing climate patterns are forcing elephants to roam further in search of resources, increasing the likelihood of deadly encounters.
Conservationists argue for solutions like buffer zones, village relocations, and early warning systems to prevent such tragedies.
But implementing these measures is no small feat in a country with a growing population and limited resources.
What Happens Next?
For now, Raipal village is trying to move forward.
Maya’s funeral was completed a few hours after the second attack, but the emotional scars will take much longer to heal.
The forest department is likely to continue monitoring the area, but preventing future incidents will require addressing the root causes of human-elephant conflicts.
This story is a sobering reminder of the delicate balance between humans and wildlife.
Elephants are majestic creatures, but when their paths cross with ours, the results can be devastating.
As we grapple with the mystery of what drove this elephant to such extreme behavior, one thing is clear: we need to find better ways to coexist.
