Footage showed locals fleeing as authorities attempted to control the Asian elephant, Somananna, before it flung the golden Howdah off its back. The heavy shrine, plated with gold and precious gems, carries the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari. Selected from thousands to lead the main procession of the 10-day Navaratri festival, Somananna was later sedated and is recovering at a nearby temple.
Karnataka's Minister of Forest, Ecology and Environment, Ramalinga Reddy, said that elephants taking part in ceremonies will have to undergo at least 20 days of training in the future.
The rampage comes amid a rise in deadly human-elephant conflict across India, driven by rapid deforestation and residential encroachment into traditional elephant corridors. Some 10 percent of safe routes for elephant migration no longer exist. Between 2019 and 2023, more than 2,800 people in India died from encounters with elephants, according to government data. Nearly 630 deaths were recorded in 2023.
Officials are also concerned about elephant fatalities. On average, more than 100 wild elephants die each year from human-related causes, according to the World Wildlife Fund, including electrocution, train hits and retaliatory poisonings. In states such as Andhra Pradesh, AI early warning systems have been introduced in some villages to detect elephant intrusions and protect villagers.
Wild elephants are growing increasingly endangered. Of the roughly 500,000 to 530,000 elephants alive across three recognized species, only about 45,000 are Asian elephants.