Nagaland: Elephants kill mahout in Wokha district

Two elephants reportedly killed their mahout in a tragic incident on New Year’s Day at Liphanyan village under Wokha district. The elephants, believed to be a mother and a calf, were reported to have roamed around the Governor’s Camp area following the incident, triggering safety concerns among residents.
According to sources, the elephants had been brought from Assam by the mahout for labour work involving transportation of logs.
Ralan Area Lotha Hoho chairman, C.S. Ovung, said villagers were advised to restrict their movement as the animals remained in the area, posing a potential threat to public safety.
He informed that two additional mahouts arrived on January 3 to take control of the elephants but failed to manage them.
The matter was subsequently reported to the Wildlife Department, following which a tranquilising team was dispatched.
Wildlife Warden Dimapur Tokaho Kinimi said the elephants were successfully tranquilised around 4.30 pm on January 3.
He said the animals would be handed back to their owner as the state does not have a designated facility to keep captive elephants.
The owner, he added, would be responsible for providing ex gratia compensation and for taking care of the next of kin of the deceased mahout.
It was also reported that the elephants had allegedly not been fed for the past two days, which may have contributed to their aggressive behaviour.
The animals reportedly damaged several items at the worksite. The body of the deceased mahout was taken to Assam for last rites.