Love turns fatal as jumbos clash over female

RAIPUR - A tragic love story played out in the jungles of Chhattisgarh when two male jumbos clashed for several hours over a female elephant, eventually killing one of them, a forest official said Tuesday.

“Two male wild jumbos fought a fatal war in Gharghora forest circle of Raigarh district for several hours Monday to have a love-play with a female jumbo in which a 15-year-old jumbo was killed,” R.K. Sisodia, a divisional forest officer, told IANS.

The Gharghora area is located some 250 km northeast of state capital Raipur.

He said about a dozen wild jumbos have been roaming the forests of Gharghora circle since last weekend and there is a confirmed report that two dominating males of this group clashed over a female jumbo. One of them, a six-footer, succumbed to injuries sustained in the fight.

“Though no forest official saw them fighting, the way the deceased elephant suffered injuries on the head, neck and thigh confirms that it was surely a bloody fight between two male elephants to get a right for ‘love play’ with a female jumbo,” the officer stated.

Sisodia said he was trying to locate the movement of the elephant group as the pachyderm that survived the battle too might have suffered serious injuries and may be in need of urgent treatment.