Kathmandu, Aug. 8 -- When Dhurbe, the notorious elephant, emerged from the forest in Jagatpur last month, few villagers could have predicted who would cross his path next.

The adult male tusker charged into a settlement bordering Chitwan National Park and killed Ashika Bote and her young son, adding two more names to a grim record that stretches back more than a decade. According to wildlife officials, Dhurbe has been responsible for 25 human deaths since 2010, and is one of Nepal's deadliest wild animals. For Ashika's family, the loss reopened an old wound: Dhurbe had already claimed the lives of two relatives in Madi in 2012.

Their deaths have renewed attention to a growing crisis across Nepal's forest fringes. As wildlife populations...