Fifteen people, including vets, have been injured in an attack by a wild elephant that was wounded by a landmine on the Bangladesh–Myanmar border, as they tried to treat it. Three of the injured have been flown to Dhaka in a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) helicopter.

Around midday on Saturday 16 August the injured were taken from the Ramu Cantonment area by BGB to the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka for better treatment. The rest are being treated at various hospitals in Cox's Bazar.

According to the report, on the afternoon of Friday 15 August, 15 forest department officials and staff, including vets, were injured while going to treat the elephant in the hills south of Baluchara in Rajarkul Thoaingyakata, on Ramu's border with Myanmar. Three of them, including two vets, are in critical condition and were taken to Dhaka by BGB helicopter.

Md Shariful Islam, public relations officer at BGB headquarters, confirmed this.

Those taken to Dhaka are Dr Hatem Sajjat Md Zulkarnain, veterinary surgeon at Dulahazra Safari Park in Chakaria, Cox's Bazar; Dr Md Mostafizur Rahman, veterinary surgeon at Gazipur Safari Park; and Md Atikur Rahman, member secretary of the Cox's Bazar district unit of Save the Nature of Bangladesh.

Md Nurul Islam, divisional forest officer (DFO) of Cox's Bazar South Forest Division, said word came from the Naikhongchhari forest range that the elephant, injured by a landmine explosion on the Naikhongchhari border, was now in the Dariyardighi reserved forest in Ramu upazila. On Friday, range officer Ali Newaz took a 15-member forest department team, including vets, deep into the reserved forest. Before anyone understood what was happening, the elephant suddenly attacked them all from behind, injuring all 15. It also snatched a gun and threw it into the forest; after a long search the gun was recovered.

He said they were doing their utmost to ensure the injured elephant gets proper treatment. Although forest staff were hurt trying to treat it, they are now monitoring its movements.

The forest officer said the landmine blast had almost paralysed the elephant's front right leg, blowing away the sole and toenails of that foot. It is having to limp on its other three legs and becomes exhausted searching for food with the pain of the wound. The elephant was injured in the landmine blast on the Naikhongchhari border on 3 August.

Vets say the elephant has become weak from loss of blood and dehydration and needs long-term intensive care.

BGB public relations officer Sharif said the seriously injured were flown by BGB helicopter from Ramu Cantonment to Dhaka for better treatment, adding that BGB is always committed to humanitarian help alongside protecting the border.

Another source said Md Mostafizur Rahman, veterinary surgeon at Gazipur Safari Park, suffered a broken breastbone in the attack, and the other two were also injured in various ways. Meanwhile some local young people are trying to feed the injured elephant banana plants and other hill food.

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