RANCHI, May 30 -- A decade ago, Jharkhand's mascot for industrial progress was a bright red 'flying elephant', a symbol of a mineral-rich state ready to take flight through global investment. Today, that imagery has been replaced by a grim reality: an 'elephant emergency' where the state's national heritage animals are increasingly associated with tragedy rather than triumph.

The crisis reached a breaking point in early 2026. In just nine days, a single-tusked male elephant-believed to be in a state of 'musth' (heightened aggression)-killed 22 people across West Singhbhum district. The rampage, which began on New Year's Day, targeted villages bordering Asia's largest Sal forest, Saranda. Entire families were victims of the nighttime atta...