JALPAIGURI: Foresters on Saturday found the headless carcass of an adult tusker at compartment No. 6 at Nimti in the western range of Buxa Tiger Reserve Forest in Alipurduar. The head was found 200m away, with both tusks missing, making it evident that it was the work of poachers.
Three suspects were arrested from Uttar Poro Basti later in the evening. Autopsy revealed that the tusker was shot at, which possibly resulted in its death. The head was chopped off after that.
“We don`t know why exactly the poachers chopped the head off,” a forester said. A tusker had been similarly poached at Sakham on the outskirts of Neora Valley National Park in Kalimpong subdivision in October 2013. Foresters had suspected poachers from the northeast.
But this time, they do not suspect any particular gang.