Nepal deploys round-the-clock patrols to capture killer elephant Dhurbe

Chitwan National Park has intensified efforts to capture Dhurbe, a wild male elephant that has killed at least 25 people over the past 15 years. The latest victims, a woman and her young son, were killed in a July 4 attack in Jagatpur, sparking local protests demanding immediate action.

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We have deployed patrol teams in three shifts, operating round-the-clock, from the park headquarters.

The joint operation, comprising park officials, veterinarians, the Nepali Army, and technicians from the National Trust for Nature Conservation, has been searching for the elephant for a week. However, Dhurbe has evaded capture by staying deep in the forest during the day and emerging into nearby settlements at night. The elephant has also damaged houses in Meghauli and Madi Municipality.

"We have deployed patrol teams in three shifts, operating round-the-clock, from the park headquarters," said Dill Bahadur Pun, chief conservation officer at Chitwan National Park. He noted that dense vegetation and monsoon weather are making tracking difficult. The team plans to tranquilize Dhurbe with a dart gun, fit it with a new, advanced satellite tracking collar, and trim its tusks. The new collar can transmit location data every 15 minutes and includes geofencing technology to alert response teams to high-risk areas.

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The teams are monitoring the areas from Jagatpur to Meghauli Golaghat and Madi, but the elephant has remained difficult to locate because it hides in the dense core forest during the day.

This is not the first attempt to track Dhurbe. Previous tracking devices, including a radio collar in 2012 and satellite collars in 2020 and 2023, have been fitted. However, the latest unit had deteriorated, losing its reliable signal. Geofencing has been programmed for areas where the elephant frequently enters human settlements, aiming to prevent future tragedies.

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The new collar is far more advanced than the previous one. It can transmit the elephant’s location as frequently as every 15 minutes and comes equipped with geofencing technology. If the elephant enters a designated high-risk area, the system immediately sends an alert, allowing our response teams to act quickly.