A wild elephant killed a 25-year-old woman and her four-year-old son in Jagatpur, Nepal, on the night of 5 July, according to local authorities and the victims’ family. The animal, identified by park officials as a solitary bull elephant known as Dhurbe, broke through the walls of a mud hut and attacked the pair as they tried to flee. The woman’s father-in-law told Nepali media that the same elephant had trampled his parents to death in 2012, prompting the family to move to a different district.

In India, two separate encounters with big cats left survivors injured. In Darjeeling, a 50-year-old woman fought off a leopard with a log after it attacked her dog, sustaining a broken arm, head injuries and multiple bites; her grandson was unharmed. In Gujarat’s Palitana district, a man survived a lioness attack after remaining motionless for about 30 minutes while the animal sat on him, gripping his arm. Medical sources said he suffered only claw scratches. Wildlife researchers described the lioness’s behaviour as unusual, noting that a single bite could have been fatal.

Park authorities in Chitwan National Park said Dhurbe has been entering human settlements since at least 2010, killing a reported 25 people. After the 2012 deaths, security personnel wounded the animal but it escaped. Satellite collars were fitted on three occasions, yet residents say the elephant continues to appear during harvest season. Following the latest attack, villagers blocked a bridge in protest. The park administration has pledged to restrict the elephant’s range, though no specific measures have been detailed.

Perspectives on the elephant’s behaviour differ. While the family describes a years-long pursuit, Russian circus performer and animal trainer Askold Zapashny told Russian media that elephants lack the cognitive capacity for long-term revenge, though they can react negatively to a specific person over time. In Brazil, a maned wolf was seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle on a highway near Brasília; it was rescued and taken to a wildlife hospital, with no update on its condition.

The injured in Darjeeling and Gujarat are receiving hospital treatment. The Nepali family has stated they have no means to relocate again. Wildlife officials in the region face renewed pressure to address the frequency of dangerous encounters between humans and animals in areas where habitats overlap.