In what is the eighth trampling death in India’s West Bengal state in a period of just 10 days, a photographer has tragically been killed. It’s reported that the man, a keen photographer, had ventured too close to the elephants, enraging them and ultimately leading to his untimely death.
Asish Shit, 35, was from Howrah, Calcutta, and had approached a wild herd of 12 elephants, which he discovered when exploring forests around the Atadihi area of Sankrail with a friend. He ended up getting too close, which caused the commotion.
Arup Mukherjee, the divisional forest officer in charge, said of the incident:
Shit went to take photographs of some elephants that were roaming in the local forest. He went very close to the elephant that trampled him. He was taken to the Bhangagarh hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
It is the latest in a string of fatal elephant attacks in the area. Before this, a laborer was trampled to death in North Bengal after being cornered by another wild herd. It’s said he was there for work, and was loading a truck when the elephants appeared out of a nearby forest.
In another incident, a singular, enraged elephant stomped a young couple to death as they walked home.
Lead image: “IMG_1253” by hakonthingstad, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0