This is the sad moment a terrified elephant calf separated from its mother is stoned by villagers in India, including children.
The video was shared online by Twitter user Nandan Pratim Sharma Bordoloi, who wrote: “Elephant calf separated from mother wandering around in fear & hunger. Calf was attacked by throwing stones. Adults should explain this to children. Or they are not worthy parents. Having children is not pride; it’s more proud to be a successful parent.”
The incident reportedly happened in Jamugurihat, which is a town in Sonitpur district, in the Indian state of Assam.
Indian Forest Services (IFS) official Susanta Nanda later also posted the video with a caption reading: “Sad & shattered. Are we going to be a nation of stone pelters? Education has no meaning if children can’t be compassionate to living beings. Moreover, there is something terrible wrong in their upbringing. No law can stop this (sic). The disturbing visuals certainly show sheer inhumanity and unnecessary cruelty towards animals.”
It was not revealed how the calf had become separated from its mother and the rest of the herd.
But Assam where the incident happened, has the second highest number of elephants in India with over 5,000 of the Asiatic elephants.
Many people believe that the number of elephants is increasing, but in fact, habitat loss with declining forests is increasingly driving them into conflict with humans, making it seem as if there are more of them than usual.
This loss of habitat means that in Assam in particular, the conflict with elephants is worse than in many other parts of the country.
Around 50 of the huge animals are also killed each year, often by power cables which are typically not raised high enough for them to move safely underneath. Others fall victim to poaching, accidents involving trains and poisoning.
