India’s top hunter on Friday led a shoot-to-kill pursuit of an elephant whose murderous rampage through villages has left 15 people dead

A friendly Disney Dumbo this is not.

The government has turned to sharpshooter Nawab Shafat Ali Khan ahead of World Elephant Day on Saturday to hunt the animal who crushed four victims in the eastern state of Bihar in March before crossing into neighbouring Jharkhand and killing 11 more.

Jharkhand’s chief forest and wildlife conservator L.R. Singh said the decision to kill the animal was made after a team failed to tranquilise and capture the elephant during a week-long mission.

Elephants kill roughly 60 people every year in forested Jharkhand, Singh said. An estimated 1,100 people died across India from elephant or tiger attacks in the three years to May.

The environment ministry estimates a human dies every day in India in clashes with endangered animals — the vast majority crushed by elephants.