Elephant found dead, poisoning suspected (India)
Elephant found dead, poisoning suspected (India)
Statesman News Service
July 29, 2008
SILIGURI, July 29: A wild elephant was found dead at the Fashkhoa tea estate under the Buxa Tiger Reserve (east) area in the Dooars this morning. The adult pachyderm is suspected to have died of poisoning and its viscera samples are now being forwarded to the animal research laboratory in Kolkata for confirmation.
According to Mr Kaushik Choudhury, ADFO, BTR (east), the carcass of the dead elephant was found at Fuelbari jungles of Fashkhoa tea estate that falls under the Hatipota range of the tiger reserve. It was the plantation workers who first spotted the dead pachyderm at around 9 a.m. and alerted the foresters. By the time forest officials arrived at the spot, condition of the carcass suggested that it died early today.
“There was no injury mark on the carcass. But we have found blood on the ground beneath the pachyderm's body that seem to be have come out of its right ear,” the ADFO Mr Choudhury said.
Adding further, the ADFO said that the it was not yet clear what has caused the death of the elephant and that they were waiting for the report of the postmortem performed towards this afternoon. “The pachyderm might have died of poison, or it could be a case of infighting among the herd of 10-12 elephants, to which the elephant belonged. We have collected viscera samples which would soon be sent to Kolkata for tests,” the forester said.
Pesticides sprayed on tea plantations can work as poison for the wild pachyderms. Besides that, the tea workers and forest villagers nurture a certain amount of hostility towards the wild elephants since they often attack human settlements.
With today's pachyderm death at the Buxa reserve, the number of wild elephants that died unnatural deaths in north Bengal in the last two months by way of electrocution, poisoning and train accident etc have shot up to ten.
Article at the following link:
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=10&theme=&usrsess=1&id=216057
Statesman News Service
July 29, 2008
SILIGURI, July 29: A wild elephant was found dead at the Fashkhoa tea estate under the Buxa Tiger Reserve (east) area in the Dooars this morning. The adult pachyderm is suspected to have died of poisoning and its viscera samples are now being forwarded to the animal research laboratory in Kolkata for confirmation.
According to Mr Kaushik Choudhury, ADFO, BTR (east), the carcass of the dead elephant was found at Fuelbari jungles of Fashkhoa tea estate that falls under the Hatipota range of the tiger reserve. It was the plantation workers who first spotted the dead pachyderm at around 9 a.m. and alerted the foresters. By the time forest officials arrived at the spot, condition of the carcass suggested that it died early today.
“There was no injury mark on the carcass. But we have found blood on the ground beneath the pachyderm's body that seem to be have come out of its right ear,” the ADFO Mr Choudhury said.
Adding further, the ADFO said that the it was not yet clear what has caused the death of the elephant and that they were waiting for the report of the postmortem performed towards this afternoon. “The pachyderm might have died of poison, or it could be a case of infighting among the herd of 10-12 elephants, to which the elephant belonged. We have collected viscera samples which would soon be sent to Kolkata for tests,” the forester said.
Pesticides sprayed on tea plantations can work as poison for the wild pachyderms. Besides that, the tea workers and forest villagers nurture a certain amount of hostility towards the wild elephants since they often attack human settlements.
With today's pachyderm death at the Buxa reserve, the number of wild elephants that died unnatural deaths in north Bengal in the last two months by way of electrocution, poisoning and train accident etc have shot up to ten.
Article at the following link:
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=10&theme=&usrsess=1&id=216057