Nepal launches round-the-clock hunt for rogue elephant

A single wild elephant has killed four members of a single family over a span of 14 years in Nepal, culminating in a renewed national operation to capture the animal as it continues to terrorize communities near Chitwan National Park. The male tusker, known locally as Dhurbe, killed 25-year-old Ashika Bote and her four-year-old son, Bharat Bote, on July 4 after breaking into their home in the Jagatpur area of Bharatpur Metropolitan City. The victims were the daughter-in-law and grandson of Shanichara Bote, who had lost his own parents to the same elephant in 2012.

Following that first attack, the Bote family relocated across the Rapti River, believing the distance would ensure their safety. Shanichara Bote expressed the family's devastation, stating they believed moving across a major river would keep them safe, but after all these years, the exact same elephant found them again. The family now numbers nine people and says they have nowhere else to go. In the latest attack, Bote's wife reportedly saved other family members by setting fire to dry thatch to drive the elephant away, though their home was destroyed.

The July 4 killings sparked local protests and prompted Chitwan...