elephant tramples tourist to death

Elephant Reportedly Returns to Woman's Funeral After Trampling Her to Death

Elephants are intelligent, social animals known to grieve the loss of their kin., madison dapcevich, published june 20, 2022.

An Indian woman was reportedly trampled to death by an elephant said to have returned to her funeral later that same day, terrorized a village, and attacked her corpse while villagers were performing her last rites.

News of the incident spread online by both local and international news publications, as well as social media users, though the exact details of the incident are conflicting. We’ll break down exactly what we found regarding the event, with the disclaimer that as of this publication, the Snopes newsroom has yet to find an official statement from law enforcement or a government agency verifying the incident. (We’ve contacted four entities and will update the article if we hear back.)

As of this writing on Jun 20, 2022, here is what we know.

An elderly woman — somewhere between the age of 60 and 70 years old — was reportedly killed in mid-June 2022 by an elephant in the Indian state of Odisha. Maya Murmu was said to have been collecting water in Raipai village outside of the Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary . By email, we contacted the district government of Purbi East Singhbhum where the sanctuary is located, and are awaiting a response. It was reported that the woman died from her injuries at a hospital the same day that she was trampled. During her funeral, a herd of elephants allegedly stormed the village. One of the elephants “arrived there suddenly and took the corpse from the pyre,” reported the online Indian newspaper The Print .

“The elephant again trampled her dead body, threw it and fled,” wrote the publication.

Odisha news channel Kanak News posted a video to its verified Twitter account that appeared to show images of the deceased woman, as well as damage done to the village by the elephants. British tabloid publication Daily Mail cited police officer Lopamudra Nayak as having confirmed the incident. Snopes looked through the police department’s Facebook page and website but did not see an official statement. We also contacted the department by email and will update the article if we receive a response.

We encountered conflicting reports about the precise details of the incident, such as the age of the deceased woman (reports claim she was 60 , 68 , and 70 years old), as well as the date the incident occurred (some reports say June 11 , while others note it was June 9 )

We also came across social media users who claimed that the woman threw stones at the elephant while poachers took away the elephant's baby. We did not find a single legitimate news publication that reported this specific detail.

The above rumors led some to speculate that the trampling and alleged funeral attack were acts of revenge.

This too appears to be an unfounded suggestion. None of the news publications we read (which are listed in the source list at the bottom of this story) reported that the woman was either harassing the elephant or assisting poachers.

While we have no reason to disbelieve that the event occurred at all, we are unable to determine whether the same elephant was involved and whether it was a targeted attack. In addition, there are further unanswered questions, such as where the funeral took place, and did it occur in a location where the herd is known to migrate. The funeral stampede may have simply been coincidental rather than an intentional attack.

The daily newspaper Times of India reported that there were about 12 elephants in the herd that caused damage to at least three houses in the village, for which officials were said to have started a compensatory process.

“We have taken steps to provide compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased. Initially, we will release Rs 10,000 for funeral and related rituals from the compensation amount. After the family members apply for house damage assistance, we will start the process for this,” said Rabi Narayan Mohanty, an assistant conservator of forests (ACF), Times of India reported .

We also contacted the Odisha Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department , which is said to be Mohanty's employer. We have not found an official statement by the agency, nor have we yet received a response to our email query.

Human-elephant conflict is relatively common in India. In October 2020 , a 70-year-old man was trampled to death by an elephant, reportedly while the victim was returning home from a football tournament. In fact, the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) estimates that in India, more than 100 people are killed by elephants every year.

India is home to the Asian or Indian elephant , which can spend up to 19 hours a day feeding, produce 220 pounds of dung daily, and wander up to 125 square miles — including through large-scale agricultural crop fields. The endangered animals are largely threatened by habitat loss from increasing human populations.

“Habitat loss forces elephants to seek alternative food sources in the many farms, settlements and plantations that have replaced their ancient forest homes. Elephants are large and destructive animals and small farmers can lose their entire livelihood overnight from an elephant raid. Elephants have also caused millions of dollars of damage to large agricultural operations. As a result of their destructive raids, elephants are often killed in retaliation,” wrote WWF.

As the Independent noted, Odisha is a mineral-rich state and industrial activity has caused an uptick in human-wildlife conflicts. As humans spread further into the wild areas, animals like elephants are more likely to encounter them. At least 42 elephant deaths are thought to have occurred in the state between April and October 2021.

In addition to such conflicts, elephants are also heavily trafficked and illegally sold for their ivory. India’s Wild Life Protection Act of 1972 protects elephants and prohibits poaching, trafficking, and trading of elephants, yet such practices are known to still occur. News reports from the Indian region say that officials of the believe there are incidents of covering up elephant deaths and have launched probe to recover illegally buried elephant perhaps linked to ivory smuggling. Such illegal burials first came to light in November 2021 and in the months since, rangers and employees of the forest guard are said to have been placed under suspension in relation to a “ pan-Indian elephant smuggling racket. ”

Elephants are among the most highly intelligent and social animals known to grieve the loss of their kin. A study published in the peer-reviewed journal The Royal Society concluded that elephants reacting to the death of one of their herd members, typically one that is very young, will sniff the corpse and touch its face or ears. They also found that elephants will also make “varying types of noise in reaction to a death, and some tried to animate the dead creature.”

But whether the actions of the elephant were intentional and vengeful, or if both incidents even involved the same elephant, remains to be determined.

In summary, details of the supposed incident, and information provided by local and international new reports, are conflicting. A look through official websites and social media accounts of government agencies and law enforcement did not reveal an official statement describing the circumstances of the event. While there is no reason to doubt that a woman was killed by an elephant, or that a herd of elephants later stampeded a crowd at the time of her funeral, we are currently unable to determine whether it was the same elephant responsible for both events, or whether the two events were directly connected.

Sources : Archive, View Author, and Get author RSS feed. “Elephant Tramples Woman to Death, Then Attacks Her Corpse at Funeral.” New York Post, 12 June 2022, https://nypost.com/2022/06/12/elephant-tramples-woman-to-death-then-attacks-her-corpse-at-funeral/. “Elephant Tramples Woman to Death, Then Attacks Her Corpse at Funeral.” New York Post, 12 June 2022, https://nypost.com/2022/06/12/elephant-tramples-woman-to-death-then-attacks-her-corpse-at-funeral/. Archive.Ph. https://archive.ph/pChH1. Accessed 20 June 2022. https://archive.ph/0ITe0. Accessed 20 June 2022. Dalma Wild Life Sanctuary | East Singhbhum | India. https://jamshedpur.nic.in/tourist-place/dalma-wild-life-sanctuary/. Accessed 20 June 2022. “Elephant Kills 70-Year-Old and Then Returns to Trample Her Corpse at Funeral in India.” The Independent, 13 June 2022, https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/india/elephant-kills-woman-india-tramples-corpse-b2099464.html. “Elephant Kills Woman and Returns to Her Funeral to Attack Her Corpse.” FOX 26 Houston, 17 June 2022, https://www.fox13news.com/news/elephant-kills-indian-woman-and-returns-to-her-funeral-to-attack-her-corpse. Elephants May Mourn Deaths, Researchers Found Using YouTube Videos. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elephants-may-mourn-deaths-researchers-found-using-youtube-videos/. Accessed 20 June 2022. Twitter, https://twitter.com/kanak_news/status/1535640234175926272. Accessed 20 June 2022. Human - Elephant Conflict. https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/elephants/human_elephant_conflict.cfm. Accessed 20 June 2022. “Indian Elephant | Species | WWF.” World Wildlife Fund, https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/indian-elephant. Accessed 20 June 2022. “Indian Laws Protecting Elephants.” Wildlife SOS, 11 Nov. 2020, https://wildlifesos.org/elephant/indian-laws-protecting-elephants/. Jabr, Ferris. “The Science Is In: Elephants Are Even Smarter Than We Realized [Video].” Scientific American, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-is-in-elephants-are-even-smarter-than-we-realized-video/. Accessed 20 June 2022. Kanak News on Twitter: “#ଦନ୍ତାର ଦାଦାଗିରି #ସକାଳେ ମାରିଲା, #ସଞ୍ଜରେ_ଦଳିଦେଲା ଶବକୁ ଛାଡିଲାନି ଦନ୍ତାହାତୀ । ସକାଳେ ବୃଦ୍ଧାଙ୍କୁ କଚାଡି ମାରିଥିଲା, ସଞ୍ଜରେ ପୁଣି ଫେରି ଦଳିଚକଟି ଦେଲା । ଚର୍ଚ୍ଚା ସୃଷ୍ଟିକଲା ହିଂସ୍ର ହୋଇପଡିଥିବା ଦନ୍ତା ହାତୀର ସ୍ୱଭାବ । #Elephant #Mayurbhanj… Https://T.Co/DtxYH1bTyJ.” 13 June 2022, https://web.archive.org/web/20220613233118/https:/twitter.com/kanak_news/status/1535640234175926272. 13 June 2022, https://web.archive.org/web/20220613233118/https:/twitter.com/kanak_news/status/1535640234175926272. “Odisha Elephant Deaths: SIT Probe to Look into Past Cover-Ups by Officials.” The New Indian Express, https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2022/jun/18/odisha-elephant-deaths-sit-probe-to-look-into-past-cover-ups-by-officials-2466996.html. Accessed 20 June 2022. “Odisha: Elephant Tramples Woman, Then Her Corpse.” ThePrint, 11 June 2022, https://theprint.in/india/odisha-elephant-tramples-woman-then-her-corpse/993012/. “Odisha: Elephant Tramples Woman to Death, Again Attacks Body before Funeral.” The Times of India, 13 June 2022. The Economic Times - The Times of India, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/odisha-elephant-tramples-woman-to-death-again-attacks-body-before-funeral/articleshow/92184167.cms. The Times of India, 13 June 2022. The Economic Times - The Times of India, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/odisha-elephant-tramples-woman-to-death-again-attacks-body-before-funeral/articleshow/92184167.cms. “Odisha Forest Officials Expose Pan-India Elephant Smuggling Racket.” The New Indian Express, https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2022/jun/19/odisha-forest-officials-expose-pan-india-elephant-smuggling-racket-2467326.html. Accessed 20 June 2022. Pokharel, Sanjeeta Sharma, et al. “Viewing the Rare through Public Lenses: Insights into Dead Calf Carrying and Other Thanatological Responses in Asian Elephants Using YouTube Videos.” Royal Society Open Science, vol. 9, no. 5, p. 211740. royalsocietypublishing.org (Atypon), https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.211740. Accessed 20 June 2022. Press Note, 2022. | Odisha Police. https://odishapolice.gov.in/?q=node/4605. Accessed 20 June 2022. Protect Elephants | World Animal Protection. https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.in/protect-elephants. Accessed 20 June 2022. Yirka, Bob and Phys.org. Researchers Study YouTube Videos to Learn More about How Wild Elephants React to Death. https://phys.org/news/2022-05-youtube-videos-wild-elephants-react.html. Accessed 20 June 2022.

By Madison Dapcevich

Madison Dapcevich is a freelance contributor for Snopes.

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American woman trampled to death by elephant during African safari

An 80-year-old American woman was killed by an elephant while on safari at Kafue National Park in Zambia. Another tourist was seriously injured, and four others sustained minor injuries.

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Charging elephant kills an American woman on 'bucket list trip' in Zambia

An American woman who was on what she had called her "last big trip" was killed when a charging elephant flipped over the car she was traveling in at a national park in Zambia .

The “aggressive” creature buffeted the vehicle carrying six tourists and a guide, tour operator Wilderness said in a statement Tuesday. It said the 79-year-old victim died after Saturday's incident on a game drive at the Kafue National Park in western Zambia.

The company did not name the victim but Rona Wells, her daughter, identified her as Gail Mattson in a post on Facebook. She said her mother died in a “tragic accident while on her dream adventure.”

A video circulating on social media apparently showing the incident shows a large elephant running toward a car, which slows down as the animal approaches its left side. The elephant then flips the vehicle over and the passengers can be heard gasping as the car rolls over.

NBC News does not know the condition or identity of the person who filmed the video.

Photos shared online of the car, which is emblazoned with the logo of the tour operator, show it tipped onto its side after the incident, with a deep dent in two of its side doors.

Wilderness, which describes itself as a “leading conservation and hospitality company” operating in eight African countries, including Zambia, did not respond to NBC News when asked to confirm the authenticity of the video and the photos.

But the tour operator’s CEO, Keith Vincent, said in the statement that the company’s “guides are all extremely well trained and experienced.”

"Sadly in this instance the terrain and vegetation was such that the guide’s route became blocked and he could not move the vehicle out of harm’s way quickly enough,” he added.

Another woman was also injured in the incident and taken to a medical facility in South Africa, the Wilderness statement said, adding that four others were treated for minor injuries.

“It’s extremely rare to see an elephant that irate,” Marlon du Toit, a wildlife photographer and safari guide, told the “TODAY” show Thursday. “Across Africa, there are thousands and thousands of guests on safari on a daily basis with no negative consequences.”

The exact cause of Mattson’s death was unclear, but the company said her body would be repatriated to her family in the United States with the support of local Zambian authorities and the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Lusaka.

“This is a tragic event and we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the guest who died,” the statement added.

NBC News has reached out to Mattson's family for further comment.

Kafue National Park is Zambia’s largest and oldest national park, according to its website, and spans an area of more than 8,000 square miles. Vast regions of the park remain unexplored and the website says it is home to a variety of untamed wildlife.

A 'bucket list trip'

Mattson spent her winters in Sun City West, Arizona, playing bridge and cards, but during the rest of the year, she "travels all over the world," her friend Brenda Biggs told NBC News. Biggs and her husband, John Longabauth, became friends with Mattson when they moved to the area 6 ½ years ago.

Longabauth said Mattson spoke to the couple about her upcoming safari trip about two weeks ago, and called it "one of her bucket list trips." He said she was very excited for the adventure.

Before she left, she gave the couple concert tickets for a show that would happen while she was traveling, telling them to enjoy the concert and "I'll see you when I get back," Longabauth recalled of the conversation.

Biggs said Mattson, who was almost 80 years old, told her that the African safari was her "my last big trip." She said Mattson was "super excited because it was like the culmination of all the trips that she had gone on."

An avid traveler, Mattson took to trips to Europe and Asia, Longabauth recalled, noting that she might have been to South America, too.

Biggs called her friend "flamboyant," "friendly" and "fabulous" and said she loved bright colors. Mattson had taken over Biggs’ job as the event planner for their 200-member bridge club, she said.

"Gail was one of the more up people you'd ever want to meet," Longabauth said. "She was always up. She was always optimistic. She was always seeing the good side of everybody."

Yuliya Talmazan is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in London.

Rebecca Cohen is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.

Harrowing video shows elephant charging truck during African safari, killing American tourist

S hocking video captured the moment a 5-ton bull elephant in Zambia charged at a safari vehicle — flipping it over several times and killing an 80-year-old American woman during an expedition.

The unidentified woman was among six tourists with the group Wilderness Zambia who were out on a photography tour Saturday when they came under attack by the crazed beast, the Telegraph reported.

“At around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning the six guests were on the game drive when the vehicle was unexpectedly charged by the bull elephant,” Wilderness Zambia CEO Keith Vincent said in a statement.

One international client killed by elephant in Kafue National Park from lufupa Lodge during Safari. Two injured and being evacuated to Lusaka. Full details being awaited from the operator through the Senior Warden Kafue Region. Very unfortunate indeed. pic.twitter.com/4ntbyhec1G

Distressing footage captured by a passenger shows the elephant barreling toward the vehicle as it cruises along a bush-lined road before suddenly stopping when its path was blocked.

The passenger continues to record as the animal lunges at the vehicle and flips it over.

The elderly woman later died of her injuries while another woman remains hospitalized.

The other four guests were treated for minor injuries after the violent attack.

“Our guides are all extremely well-trained and experienced, but sadly in this instance the terrain and vegetation was such that the guide’s route became blocked and he could not move the vehicle out of harm’s way quickly enough,” Vincent said.

Kafue National Park’s management sent a helicopter to the scene to evacuate the victims.

 “This is a tragic event and we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the guest who died. We are also, naturally, supporting those guests and the guide involved in this distressing incident,” Vincent added.

The group was reportedly staying at the luxurious Lufupa Camp in the Kafue National Park, the largest game reserve in Africa.

African Parks, which manages the park, also controls 22 other wildlife sanctuaries in Africa.

The tour group was making arrangements to return the woman’s body to the US, the Nigerian Bulletin reported.

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Elephant tramples tourist to death in uganda.

A tourist was trampled to death by an elephant in a national park in Uganda after he got out of the car he was travelling in.

The deceased, a Saudi national, was passing through the Murchison Falls National Park to Arua city with colleagues when they stopped to relieve themselves.

A herd of elephants charged at them and the deceased, who had moved further away from the vehicle, was unable to return.

The incident happened on Tuesday night but was widely reported on Wednesday.

The park authorities confirmed the incident and said investigations were ongoing.

They said measures were being put in place to prevent such incidents from recurring.

Animal attacks have been reported before in Ugandan parks.

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Elephant tramples tourist to death in Uganda

File image of an elephant. PHOTO| COURTESY

The deceased identified as Ayman Sayed Elshahany was reportedly passing through the Murchison Falls National Park to Arua city with colleagues when they stopped to 'relieve' themselves.

According to Uganda wildlife authority spokesman Bashir Hangi, the deceased who had moved further away from their vehicle was charged at by the elephant that killed him. 

“They stopped along the way and the deceased went out of the car, an elephant charged at him, killed him on the spot,” Hangi said in a statement.

The park officials have launched investigations into the matter as measures were being put in place to prevent such incidents from recurring.

Animal attacks have been reported before in Ugandan parks. 

In 2018, a leopard is reported to have snatched and mauled a three-year-old son belonging to a female game ranger at another park in the west of the country.

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Elephant tramples tourists to death

An American tourist and her baby daughter were trampled to death by an elephant as they hiked in Kenya with an unarmed guide.

Sharon Brown, 39, and her family, including one-year-old Margaux, were following a nature trail just outside Mount Kenya National Park on Monday morning when the elephant charged from the bush, according to Michael Kipkeu, a Kenya Wildlife Service official.

“The elephant emerged from the bush at full speed without any warning,” said Melia van Laar, the owner of the Castle Forest Lodge where the Brown family was holidaying. “Everybody ran away, but the lady, burdened by the weight of the baby, perhaps, or in panic, was not able to run fast enough.”

Walking tours of Kenya’s national parks are common, although hikers

Elephant tramples tourist to death in Thailand

Police in Thailand say an elephant trampled a Swiss tourist to death during what was supposed to be a peaceful ride through the jungle in the south of the tropical country.

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Police Lt. Col. Apidej Chuaikua says the 63-year-old woman died Tuesday when a pair of elephants carrying her and four other tourists crossed paths and began fighting in a forest in Surat Thani province.

Chuaikua said Thursday that one of the elephants reared up, throwing the woman to fall to the ground, where she was stomped repeatedly.

Swiss government officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

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Chuaikua said four other tourists suffered minor injuries when they jumped off the elephants’ backs and fled. Their nationalities were not immediately known.

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Elephant tramples tourist to death in Kaziranga

A wild elephant killed a 55-year-old dutch national in kaziranga national park in assam on tuesday. the victim, robert william goldbrach, was part of an eight-member tourist group from the netherlands, uk and australia that was on a bird watching trip, reports rahul karmakar..

KNP officials said the group had hit the bird-watching trail around 9.30 am after seeking requisite permission.

“This is a pretty safe trail, but they ran straight into a male rouge elephant,” said a park official. “The others managed to flee to safety but Goldbrach was unlucky.”

Sub-divisional police officer Navin Singh told Hindustan Times from Bokakhat — KNP’s administrative office is located in this central Assam town, about 200 km from Guwahati — that Goldbrach’s body was “badly smashed” by the jumbo.

Kaziranga’s tame elephants, too, had turned killers during the Park’s centenary celebrations in 2005. That year, two elephants trampled a mahout each.

Kaziranga has a sizeable number of Asiatic elephants, the highest concentration of Royal Bengal tigers anywhere in the country and over 55 per cent of the world’s one-horned rhinos.

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Elephant tramples tourist to death

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An elephant has trampled a Swiss tourist to death during what was supposed to be a peaceful ride through the jungle in southern Thailand.

The 63-year-old woman died when a pair of elephants carrying her and four other tourists crossed paths and began fighting in a forest in Surat Thani province.

Police Lt Col Apidej Chuaikua said today one of the elephants reared up, throwing the woman to the ground, where she was trampled repeatedly.

He said four other tourists suffered minor injuries when they jumped off the elephants' backs and fled. Their nationalities were not immediately known.

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American woman trampled to death by elephant during African safari

An 80-year-old american woman was killed by an elephant while on safari at kafue national park in zambia. another tourist was seriously injured, and four others sustained minor injuries., april 3, 2024, what’s next for russia, what comes next after texas school shooting, what's next for abortion rights in america, the new battle for voting rights, how we can build a clean and renewable future, the fight for kyiv, examining extremism in the military, gun violence: an american epidemic, border crisis: what’s happening at the us-mexico border, remembering george floyd: a year of protest, the source of covid-19: what we know, how did the gamestop stock spike on wall street happen, why are people hesitant to trust a covid-19 vaccine, how climate change and forest management make wildfires harder to contain, disparity in police response: black lives matter protests and capitol riot, 2020 in review: a year unlike any other, examined: how putin keeps power, why don’t the electoral college and popular vote always match up, us crosses 250,000 coronavirus deaths, 2nd impeachment trial: what this could mean for trump, presidential transition of power: examined, how donald trump spent his last days as president, how joe biden's inauguration will be different from previous years, belarus’ ongoing protests: examined, trump challenges the vote and takes legal action, 2020’s dnc and rnc are different than any before, what is happening with the usps, voting in 2020 during covid-19, disinformation in 2020, abc news specials on, impact x nightline: on the brink, impact x nightline: unboxing shein, the lady bird diaries, impact x nightline: it's britney, impact x nightline: natalee holloway -- a killer confesses, impact x nightline: who shot tupac, impact x nightline, power trip: those who seek power and those who chase them, the murders before the marathon, the ivana trump story: the first wife, mormon no more, leave no trace: a hidden history of the boy scouts, keeper of the ashes: the oklahoma girl scout murders, the orphans of covid: america's hidden toll, superstar: patrick swayze, the kardashians -- an abc news special, 24 months that changed the world, have you seen this man.

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Moment rampaging elephant charges idiot tourists who ‘tried to take selfies with it’ & nearly TRAMPLES one to death

• Juliana Cruz Lima
• Published : 12:29, 2 Feb 2024
• Updated : 14:32, 2 Feb 2024
• Published : Invalid Date,

THIS is the terrifying moment a charging elephant chased tourists and nearly trampled one of them to death.

Two men left their car to snap selfies with the jumbo behind them as it was ambling along a national highway in India .

But as they approached, the elephant suddenly went berserk and rushed towards them.

Footage filmed from a vehicle ahead showed the nail-biting chase as the pair struggled to stay ahead of the wild animal .

A red car was seen speeding alongside both tourists, before one of them tripped and fell to the side of the road.

He was almost trampled to death as the elephant suddenly stopped and turned towards him as he lay on the ground.

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Elephant kills man after 'locals throw stones as she tried to help calf'

Moment wild killer elephant charges and tramples Buddhist monk to death

To the man's luck, the huge creature then turned around before heading back to the wild.

It comes after another rampaging elephant   trampled a man to death after locals pelted it with stones .

Disturbing footage showed the mother attempting to help her sick baby to its feet shortly after birth in Ajnashuli, West Bengal.

But the calf was too weak to get to its feet and the incident took a sinister turn when villagers began throwing stones at the pair, reports  VN Express .

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The mother beast went berserk and charged at the locals killing Shailen Mahato, 27, it was reported.

According to reports the elephant had tried to warn villagers who gathered around filming on smartphones by stamping her feet.

The mother reportedly gave birth to the weak baby near a dry lake and had been trying to move it into a nearby forest before the attack.

In Eastern India, a pensioner was trampled to death by an enraged elephant before the animal returned to drag her away from a funeral pyre and maul her corpse.

Maya Murmu, 70, was collecting water in the village of Raipal when an escaped elephant unleashed its anger on her.

The huge creature stamped on her and she was rushed to hospital, but died from her catastrophic injuries.

But in a cruel twist, the raging elephant returned and pulled her body off from on top her funeral pyre.

It once again trampled her body, threw her around and savaged her corpse before leaving the scene, reports  Press Trust of India .

In Thailand , a wild elephant trampled to a monk after charging at him while he was walking back to his temple.

Horror CCTV footage showed Jaron Suksing, 66, looking around only to see the crazed male elephant charging at him.

The monk desperately tried to get away but only got a few yards before being caught.

He is then gored by the elephant's 20in long ivory tusks then trampled as he lay on the ground screaming for help.

It comes after an  elephant went on a rampage at a wedding  after it got spooked by firecrackers.

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Shock footage showed the massive elephant flipping cars and trashing the venue after it got startled by the noise.

Meanwhile, panicked guests could be seen fleeing the scene.

Six ways to respect wildlife

Disruptive tourists can lead to stress, altered behaviours, and habitat disturbance for wildlife.

In extreme cases, it may even lead to aggressive behaviour from animals.

Overall, these effects can negatively impact the well-being and survival of the wildlife involved.

The US National Park Service outlined six ways to respect wildlife whilst still admiring its beauty:

1)  Keep your hands to yourself : Leave the creatures as you find them, so step carefully and just observe, don't touch them.

2)  Stay back if animals sense fear:  If an animal starts to stare, fidget or flee, calmly back away and give them more space.

3)  Pick up and carry your rubbish:  Always carry your rubbish to the nearest bin. Experts at the US National Park Service also recommend picking up any litter you encounter. If bins are overflowing, take your trash home.

4)  Enjoy the view from afar:  Keep your distance and use your zoom lens or binoculars if you want that close-up view.

5)  Keep your snacks to yourself:  Do not share your food with wildlife animals. Feeding them human food can cause health issues, disrupt natural foraging, and create dependency.

6)  Keep pets on a leash and children close:  Leashing your dog protects your pet and wildlife too. Also teach your little ones to stay back, and to look, not touch.

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Elephant tramples woman to death, then attacks her corpse at funeral.

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A 70-year-old woman in India was trampled to death by an elephant — and her corpse was then bizarrely attacked by the same beast at her funeral, according to a report .

Police said Maya Murmu had been fetching water from a well in the eastern Indian state of Odisha on Thursday when an elephant came barreling toward her, according to the Print India. The tusked pachyderm had apparently escaped from the Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, which is located in a neighboring state. 

The elephant trampled the woman, who ultimately died of her injuries at a nearby hospital, police told the outlet Saturday.

Murmu’s family was then performing her last rites before lighting a funeral pyre when the elephant allegedly returned and grabbed her body.

The animal threw the corpse in the air and then ran away, the local outlet reported.

Apparently, the family was able to continue the ceremony, and the elephant did not return. 

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Elephant tramples tour guide to death in South Africa

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Conservationists are mourning the death of a Zimbabwean tour guide who was trampled to death by a charging elephant at South Africa's Gondwana Private Game Reserve. David Kandela, 36, was leading a group of tourists on Sunday evening when the tragedy happened, the reserve said in a statement quoted by local media. It added that the incident occurred as one of Gondwana’s herds of elephants was passing through Gondwana’s tented Eco Camp. "The herd had nearly passed through the camp when David encountered the last remaining elephant just before the tragic event occurred," the statement added. Fellow tour guides and tour operators have described Mr Kandela as an expert guide who had a deep passion for his work. Such incidents are rare, but elephants are said to be easily disturbed by the high number of tourists especially in areas that are not designated for safari tourists. Elephants are a major tourist attraction in southern Africa.

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