Circus elephant dies mysteriously

Barrackpore, Nov 28 (UNI) A 14-year-old tusker of a circus company was found dead this morning at Raibagan in North 24 Parganas.

Police reached the spot at Titagarh and started an investigation into the mysterious death of the elephant.

Veterinary surgeon Dr P K Sengupta, who saw the tusker, said a post mortem needed to be conducted to determine the exact cause of the tusker's death.

The circus company -Moonlight- brought six elephants including three cubs along with other animals and birds from Purulia for a 40-day show which was to begin tomorrow. The oldest of the lot 'Kailash' was found dead early today, said the mahut, Moinul Ali, who has been looking after Kailash from its childhood. Kailash was procured from Assam by the proprietor of the company, Abdul Khan, a sobbing Moinul added.

The other animals were restless while watching the lifeless Kailash.

A local manager of the circus company Kiran Sankar Mukherjee said the elephants were ferried from Purulia yesterday on trucks, which took some 30 hours to reach here.

He rejected a rumour the tusker died of electrocution.

The forest department officials were summoned to Raibagan, where the circus was to be held.

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