Elephant found dead in West Bengal village

Andaman (Jalpaiguri District,West Bengal), May 26 : The carcass of a female tusker was found in a cornfield in Andaman village, which borders the Kodalbasti Forest Range in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri District on Sunday (May 25).

Veterinarians and senior forest officials rushed to the spot to examine the dead body.

Officials at the sanctuary said that it was possible that the elephant had died of anthrax ingestion. They confirmed that there were no injury marks on the dead elephant.

The veterinarians have collected blood samples from the carcass and a post-mortem would be conducted to find out the exact cause of death.

"From Jalpaiguri, a team of veterinary officers reached here to find out the scientific reason and also to investigate the whole matter. They will give a report, and only then, will the actual reason be revealed. Before that, we can't tell the reason," said Amitava Chatterjee, the Assistant Wildlife Warden of the Cooch Behar Forest Division.

The carcass of the elephant was discovered on Sunday morning.

"While I was sleeping in the morning, the servant of the owner of this farmland, who stays here, told me that one elephant had died in their corn field. I informed the department. They came here and saw the dead elephant," said Bande Oraon, a local.

According to forest officials, a herd of around 20 elephants has been staying near cornfield for the past few days. The mysterious death of the elephant has left the forest officials concerned.

ANI