The Forest Department has recovered the carcass of a wild elephant from the edge of a tobacco field at the foot of the hills in Chakaria, Cox's Bazar. The body was recovered on the morning of Wednesday 12 February from the Ghunia area of Fasiakhali union in the upazila.

Mehraj Uddin, officer of the Fasiakhali range of the Cox's Bazar North Forest Division, confirmed the matter.

According to Forest Department sources, local people saw the elephant lying at the edge of a tobacco field at the foot of the Ghunia hills in Fasiakhali at dawn. Curious crowds gathered at the spot, and forest officials went there after the department was informed.

Local people said there are tobacco fields across wide areas of Chakaria. In the hilly areas, farmers use electric traps to protect their tobacco from attacks by wild elephants, and the elephant died after being caught in such a trap, they said.

Forest officials, however, said the cause of death could be stated with certainty only after a post-mortem.

Range officer Mehraj Uddin said that throughout January, awareness meetings against killing elephants with electric traps were held with local farmers in different parts of Fasiakhali, together with the Chakaria upazila nirbahi officer. Electric traps had also been removed from several tobacco fields in the Ghunia area, and the elephant died in that same area.

He said many people suspect the elephant died in an electric trap, but nothing can be said without a post-mortem. The Chakaria upazila livestock officer has therefore been informed so that one can be carried out, and the cause of death will be confirmed once the report arrives. No outward sign of illness was seen on the body of the dead male elephant, which was 40 to 42 years old, he added.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.