Dhurbe, the rogue bull elephant that killed 15 people in a span of four years in Chitwan before going out of contact in 2013, has reappeared, officials at the Chitwan National Park (CNP) say.

Bed Kumar Dhakal, the park’s chief conservation officer, on Sunday said Dhurbe is roaming around Shukibhar forest area of the park these days with a female companion in tow. 

Dhurbe seems uncharacteristically calm these days, but this demeanour of his could have been influenced by a female’s presence, he added.

The female elephant accompanying Dhurbe is Tirthamankali. She originally belongs to the CNP Sukhibhar Post.

Dhurbe had broken into the elephant stable of the post and whisked Tirthamankali away on Saturday night, said mahout Rajesh Singh. 

In  2013, the killing spree of Dhurbe and the ensuing hunt for him by the CNP authority had grabbed national headlines. 

A large team was deployed to put down the killer elephant, but to no avail.