ECNS, April 29 -- According to the Central News Agency report, administrators of a protected area in Kerala State in India are hunting down a 25-year-old male elephant - "female-killer" Alpha. It is reported that during its rutting season if it's rejected when trying to mate, it will stab the female elephants with its tusks. Twelve female elephants have already fallen victim.
In the Periyar Protected Area in Kerala State, from February 25 to June 16 last year, eight female elephants met an unfortunate end. Administrators analyzed the cause of death from autopsy reports and other evidence, concluding that the deaths were caused by the same pair of tusks.
K.K. Srivastava, Director of the Wildlife Management Department of Kerala State, said that two more female elephants were killed on March 12 and 21 this year, using the same method as before.
Administrators first discovered Alpha's violent behavior at the beginning of last year. Within just two months in the reserve, five female elephants and one male elephant lost their lives. The administrators originally suspected poachers, so they formed a team of 15 experts for further investigation.
Their report on April 4 showed that the five female elephants all died from "elephant group fights", and the cause of death was from the same pair of tusks; subsequently, a team was organized to hunt down Alpha.
On March 27 last year, Alpha was spotted at the edge of the reserve. The administrator found that it was at the peak of its "increased sexual demand frequency" during the rutting season, frequently attacking after chasing the female elephants. Another adult elephant had been killed the week before.
Ecologist A Veeramani of the Periyar Foundation said that although Alpha's condition is rare, it is not unheard of. Since the deceased female elephants were all stabbed from behind, it fully proves that they were forced by a male elephant from behind. He said that the wounds on the dead elephants match the size of Alpha's tusks.