An elephant thought to have killed three men, including its mahout, in northern Myanmar was captured yesterday, state media reports.
The 49-year-old elephant that had been in musth—a periodic surge in testosterone levels—was tranquilised in Indaw township, Kachin state six days after the first casualty.
During musth, bulls became more aggressive and search out females. Glands on their cheeks swell and ooze a thick liquid containing pheromones.
Named “Aung Bu,” the bull killed three men in separate incidents and injured another person, who is being treated at Myitkyina hospital.
It is unclear what will happen to the pachyderm, which was found in a forest with a female and captured with the help of a veterinarian and three domesticated elephants.
In Myanmar, Asiatic males have tusks, making this sex the original target for poachers.
But now females and young elephants are also being hunted for their hides, contributing to a population decrease of about 80 percent to roughly 2,000 in the last 80 years.
