Elephant calf found dead in Cox’s Bazar

Forest officials have recovered another carcass of wild Asian elephant calf on Sunday from Islamabad hill at Eidgaon upazila in Cox’s Bazar.

Around 7 am some wood cutters found the elephant dead in a 2.5 feet deep hole and informed the forest department, according to locals. 

Md Alauddin, Rajghat bit officer under Fulchari range said the male elephant was approximately two years old and it was seven feet long, five feet wide and its trunk was 2.5 feet long.

“The elephant might have died around Saturday night,” he said.

Faruq Ahmed Bulbul, another officer from the Fulchari range, said the elephant might have slipped into the hole while getting down the slope.

“The actual reason of death can be confirmed after the Cox’s Bazar upazila livestock officials conduct an autopsy but they have confirmed finding injury marks on its body,” said Dr Prantosh Chandra Roy Assistant Conservator of Forest of Fulchari range.

Dipak Sharma Dipu, president of Cox’s Bazar Forest and Environment Conservation Council said in the last one year at least 10 elephants died in Cox’s Bazar.

He did not rule out planned killing of the calf too.

“Elephants are being killed all over the country due to forest grabbing, cultivation in forest land and for selling elephant teeth,” he said.