AN eight-year-old girl has been trampled to death by a wild elephant that broke loose from a 10-strong herd of beasts.
Citra and her family were fleeing from their home in Indonesia’s West Rumbai district, when the animal charged at the child and broke her skull.
The girl’s dad, Sardo Purba, first caught wind of the animals’ presence when he heard loud noises outside the family home, West Rumbai police chief Said Khairul Iman said.
Moments later, he spotted three mammoth elephants just metres away.
Frightened the animals would tear down the house’s fragile structure, he gathered his wife and four children and fled through the back door.
But, amid the panic, Citra slipped and fell in the elephant’s line of charge.
Within seconds, the young girl was trampled on. – causing life-threatening fractures to her skull.
She was rushed to hospital but despite medics’ best efforts, tragically died three days later.
Cops said authorities were working to move the elephants away from residents’ homes at the time.
Zulhusni Syukri, director of the Rimba Satwa Foundation, which fits GPS collars on wild elephants in the region, said humans are partly to blame for these incidents.
The loss of habitat caused by deforestation has pushed elephants closer to humans in their search for food, he said.
This proximity has threatened their survival causing many to become scared and more agitated.
He told China Morning Post: “These kinds of incidents stem from the trauma that elephants have faced in Riau for decades as a result of human intervention, including being driven away from villages, caught in traps and scared away by fireworks.
“This trauma has caused a change in elephant behaviour and made them more aggressive.”
Following the girl’s tragic death, the Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) said it had “coordinated with the police and local authorities”.
The organisation urged locals not to to “act aggressively” or “provocatively” towards the wild elephants.
“While we understand the fear and shock among the community, aggressive actions could worsen the situation,” it added.
Syukri said usually elephants will run away if they come across humans but if they feel threatened then they will turn to aggression.
His worry is that residents will amplify their attacks on elephants – making matters worse.
Elephants are increasingly under threat in Sumatra with a number of cases of violence against them reported each year.
In 2021, a Sumatran elephant was discovered decapitated and in 2022, a pregnant female was found dead in the Riau province.
It comes as an elephant capsized two British couples’ canoes and tried to trample them in Botswana.
Footage shows the bull elephant charging at the four tourists – tipping them into the crocodile-infested Okavango Delta
The group were in two gondala-stle canoes when a male elephant, sensing they were too close to his herd, launched his fierce attack.
He tipped over both of the canoes knocking the tourists into the water.
The two guides appear to run for safety on the riverbank – with others nearby scrambling to safety.
Both couples were said to be British, according to local reports.
Video shows the beast breaking charge before launching a second attack on one of the women in the group.
