Maungdaw villager killed by wild elephant

By Admin 02 Dec 2023

DMG Newsroom
2 December 2023, Maungdaw

A man from Laungdone Village in northern Maungdaw, Arakan State, was trampled to death by a wild elephant on Friday night, according to family members.

U Win Zaw, 40, was sleeping in his paddy fields as he needed to guard them against wild animals before the harvest, said a family member.

“It appears that he was trampled by the wild elephant while he was in a deep sleep. His bones were fractured, and internal organs were also smashed,” he said.

The man was rushed to Kyeinchaung Hospital where he died, said another family member.  “He could call out to people nearby, and they brought him home. He could speak a little. He was sent to hospital but died around 2 a.m.,” she said.

Wild elephants in the Mayu Mountains roam the forests during daytime, but search for food at night in farms near villages, and are known to attack farmers from time to time.

Said a farmer from Laungdone Village: “We have concerns about the danger of wild elephants. Elephants will come and eat ripe rice plants during harvest, and we have to exercise caution.”

In June, a man with disabilities from Kanpyin Tharzi Village in southern Maungdaw was fatally attacked by a wild elephant. A man from Donepike Village in Rathedaung Township also met the same fate in May while he was collecting bamboo in the Mayu Mountains.