Rajganj, 02nd October: A tusker was found dead near a tea garden in the Nodhabari area of Mantadari Gram Panchayat in Rajganj on Friday morning, with the Forest Department suspecting that the elephant may have died after coming into contact with an electrified barbed-wire fence.
According to local sources, paddy fields are located beyond the tea garden, and barbed-wire fencing had allegedly been installed along the fields to prevent wild animals from entering the farmland.
Forest officials said they had been monitoring elephant movement in the area on Thursday night and patrolled the locality at around 1 am. On Friday morning, they received information about an elephant lying dead near the tea garden.
Forest personnel from the Belakoba and Ambari ranges reached the spot, along with police from the Gajoldoba outpost. They found the carcass of a tusker at the site.
Forest officials reportedly found barbed-wire fencing surrounding the area. According to the department, injury marks were visible on the elephant’s trunk, along with blackened marks on parts of its body. The preliminary assessment is that the elephant may have been electrocuted after coming into contact with or becoming entangled in the barbed wire if an electrical connection had been made to the fence.
The Forest Department said the landowner has been identified but has been absconding since the incident. Necessary action will be taken against the owner under the Wildlife Protection Act, according to officials.
An investigation has been launched to determine the exact cause of the elephant’s death. The Forest Department, police and electricity department are examining whether an illegal electrical connection was made to the barbed-wire fence, the purpose for which the fencing was installed and whether it was directly linked to the elephant’s death.
