Enraged elephants injured 13 people in Sri Lanka (5 photos + 1 video)

18 October 2024

A Hindu religious festival in Sri Lanka descended into chaos when elephants charged at a crowd. Thirteen procession participants were hospitalized.

One of the elephants panicked and broke away from the procession. The trainer yanked the animal's tail in a futile attempt to stop it. The giant's relatives followed suit, and the religious festival quickly turned into a massacre.

The first elephant was surrounded by a group of people and brought under control. 13 people were injured and taken to Kataragama Hospital, located 280 km south of the capital Colombo. All the injured have already been discharged.

In Hinduism, elephants are considered sacred animals, personifying loyalty, strength, wisdom. Animal rights activists have repeatedly criticized the use of these creatures in temple ceremonies in Sri Lanka.

Elephants are known to be peaceful animals, but there are cases of them killing people.

In Thailand, elephants cause havoc on roads, destroy tourist areas, and even break into houses. Since 2018, they have killed at least 150 people. According to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation of Thailand, more than 133 people have also been injured. Many of them were tourists. And the frequency of incidents is only increasing. In addition to violent clashes with people, entire herds block roads and crush cars.