10 Devestating Details Surrounding Maya Murmu, Who Was Trampled To Death In India By A Wild Elephant

6 /10 The Elephant In The Room

Elephants of all kinds are highly endangered across the world. They were once over-hunted and poached for their ivory, and this illicit trade continues with less frequency today.

Add to that the mating cycle of elephants. They can live to be over 100 and infrequently mate during that time.

With whittling herds already limiting the valid breeding pool, elephants remain an endangered species approaching a slow, inevitable extinction.

5 /10 Wild At Heart

Why would an elephant go so far out of its way on a nature preserve to attack a human? There are many reasons.

Climate disruptions can alter the known water resources in an area and cause elephants to wander in search of food and water that they need.

They usually aren’t fenced in but are coaxed into a central position within nature reserves.

This leads elephants to resources occupied by humans, and the giant animal feeds first in the wild.

Pushing humans out of the way with threats or violence is the same thing they’d do to any other animal taking the water they want.

4 /10 With A Vengeance

Elephants can remember people’s faces, even after years have passed, and they know what humans do.

If an elephant sees humans hurting or killing a fellow elephant – especially one from the same herd – even if they get away or are punished later, the elephant will hold onto a grudge for many years.

It’s possible that Maya Murmu’s pachyderm killer was wronged by humans and took his anger out on her, whether she was involved or not.

3 /10 Pachyderm Power

An adult male Indian elephant can reach up to 11 feet from foot to shoulder and weigh as much as 11,000 pounds. Even the lighter, “teenage” elephants can equal the size and weight of a big, sporty car.

Getting crushed by one may not be instant death. Accidents can happen, and legs or feet can be broken or heavily bruised. The difference is intent.

Kicking or stepping on someone to move them is brutal. Trampling is the intended method of attack for elephants to kill anything smaller than them (which is everything).

2 /10 Indian Icon

Elephants are the national heritage animal of India and are closely tied to Indian culture and history.

The elephant is even the state animal of Odisha, where the murder and subsequent funeral crashing took place.

Defending against elephants isn’t a thing. If they’re on the attack, your best course is to get out of the way.

Another famous killer elephant, an African breed, took 86 gunshots before it finally slowed down and died in Hawaii in 1994.

When an elephant wants someone dead, that person is doomed unless they’re in a bunker or a tank.

1 /10 Never Forget

Maya Murmu’s death and funeral will certainly not be forgotten. The elephant is still on the loose.

Perhaps its want for violence was sated when it realized its victim was as dead as it wanted.

It stands out as a uniquely one-sided event. Elephants can remember who harmed them in the past, but no such history was part of Maya Murmu’s life.

It could have taken its rage for a different outing out on her, which leads the public to wonder who else might suffer at the hands of a deflected elephant’s rage next.