Drawn to the village by the aroma of the fermenting brew, a herd of about 40 wild elephants broke apart casks kept outside, drank the concoction and then ran amok through a paddy that had an electrical transmission tower rising above it.

Witnesses and wildlife officials said one elephant rubbed his back against the pole, causing it to collapse and bringing down high-voltage lines onto the animal.

Other elephants tried to come to the rescue of the fallen bull as it writhed in pain and trumpeted loudly, but they were also electrocuted as they made contact with the electric current.

“It was a pathetic sight to see one elephant after another getting electrocuted in front of our eyes,” said T. Sangma, an elder in the nearby village of Chandan Nukat.

Villagers saved the remaining elephants from a similar fate by chasing them away.

Photo: Robyn Mackenzie