Lakhimpur Kheri, May 2 -- A day after a camp elephant at Dudhwa Tiger Reserve fatally attacked its handler, forest officials and wildlife experts are still searching for answers, with no clear trigger in sight.

Vinayak, a 13-year-old elephant, had on Wednesday suddenly charged at his handler, Ram Vilas, while being led for a routine bath after patrolling in the rhino area of the south Sonaripur range. The handler later succumbed to his injuries.

What has unsettled authorities is the absence of any obvious cause. Officials said the elephant was neither in musth (heat) nor had it shown prior signs of aggression. Soon after the attack, Vinayak was reported to have returned to a calm state, deepening the mystery around the sudden outburst....