Wild elephant estimated to around 30 years old found dead near the Dahijoda forest area of Arjundhara in Jhapa on July 6.
According to the Division Forest Office, Jhapa, the cause of the Wild elephant’s death has not ascertained. But conservationists suspect electrocution since there were no visible signs of injuries on the body.
This is not the first incident of elephant death reported in Jhapa this month. On July 1, Wild elephant estimated to be around seven years old was found dead in Aayabari village about 500 meters south of the Panchpokhari forest area in Buddhashanti Rural Municipality-5.
Elephants enter the villages spread around the forest areas to eat crops. To prevent elephants from entering the fields, the local farmers install electric fences around the perimeter of their land. This is one of the main causes behind the high number of elephant deaths in the area, say conservationists.
The Division Forest Office in Jhapa says the bodies of both the elephants have been sent for postmortem.
Cause of Death of Wild elephant
“The cause of their deaths can only confirmed after the postmortem report,” said Acting Division Forest chief Raj Kumar Khatri. “We are still awaiting the postmortem result of the elephant that was found dead on July 1.”
Studies show that elephants from Assam and West Bengal in India travel to Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve in Nepal through Bahundangi. Experts say that instances of human-wildlife conflict are recurring because of the encroachment of the bio-corridor by humans over the years. There are around 1,800 households in Bahundangi.
“Wild elephant are intelligent animals. They do not attack for fun. People need to stop killing and torturing them,” Pradhan told the Post. “The conflict between elephants and humans could go on forever if we don’t think about ways to help the animal protect their way of life and their right of way. The responsibility to reduce this conflict is not in the hands of elephants but falls on us humans.”
