Now Nduiki is facing the death sentence. But tour operators are worried that this will upset their customers. Many hotels are less than 30 per cent full. During the day he retreats into the protective anonymity of the park. Staff cuts have left the wildlife service without enough manpower to patrol the fence adequately.
Rangers say the elephant has learnt to avoid electric shocks by pushing on the wooden fence posts.
If the rangers fail to destroy him, the angry villagers of Marura say they will do the job themselves, risking long prison sentences for poaching. Local market farmers believe elephants count for more than their crops of beans and maize. Arnab Neil Sengupta is Assistant Editor of Khaleej Times, Dubai, the largest circulated English newspaper in the Persian Gulf, editor of the editorial pages, and a former editor at India Today, India's premier newsmagazine.