Indian village mob lobs firebombs at mother, baby elephants to protect their property

Taken by Biplab Hazra in Bishnupur, India, the images show the extreme lengths the inhabitants of the town go to to deter elephants from damaging their crops and property. (Caters)

A furious mob of Indian villagers attacked a mother elephant and her calf with firebombs after the animals stepped onto farmland and the residents’ crops.

The dramatic pictures show the elephant family fleeing from a group of people who are following and hurling firebombs at them.

The incident occurred in Bishnupur, India and show the measures some villages employ to deter the destruction of their food and property by the creatures.

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Indian culture in the past revered elephants, who occupy an important role in Hinduism and are considered to be sacred.

But the increasing deforestation has left the creatures with less space to live, pitting them against local residents who need land to grow food and survive.

Elephants are becoming the target of peoples’ fury as they can easily destroy crops and other property, causing damage to the communities.

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A group of men chase away a herd of wild elephants in Bishnupur, India (Caters)

“This happens because the villagers have to save their crops,” photographer Biplab Hazra told Caters news agency, according to the Independent.

“There are many elephant corridors in human habitations. I’m trying to show this and spread my photos to increase public awareness on the matter.”

In recent years, the confrontation between elephants and humans has turned deadly. At least 70 people have died in the Indian state of Assam as a result of the clashes in 2018, the Australian Broadcast Corporation reported.

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Up to 70 elephants have died in the region as well, some due to clashes or deliberate poisoning or just by wandering through residential areas and getting hit by trains or electrocuted by power lines.

Indian elephants are considered to be endangered, with their population falling by over 50 percent since the 1940s.