National Museum authorities say they will preserve the skeleton of ‘Bangabahadur’, the Indian wild elephant which died last Tuesday in Jamalpur after wandering around four Bangladesh districts for over a month, if the government gives the greenlight.
Members of a three-strong team of the museum told reporters about the plan on Friday while visiting the spot at Sharishabarhi Upazila’s Koyra village where the elephant has been buried.
The team members are the museum’s assistant keepers Shawkat Imam Khan and Golam Kausar and gardener Sharafat Hossain.
After being washed away from northeast Indian state of Assam in the strong currents of the Brahmaputra, the elephant entered Bangladesh through Kurhigram border on Jun 26.
It travelled a few hundred kilometres into Bangladesh to Sirajganj via Gaibandha and Jamalpur and then travelled back to Jamalpur.
After making the headlines in the local as well as international media for more than a month, the untamed male, weighing some five tonnes, died on Tuesday morning at Koyra from heat.
After conducting autopsy, forest department officials laid it to rest later that day.
Sharishabarhi Upazila Chief Executive Officer Saiyed AZ Morshed Ali said the burial ground was being guarded so that no-one can steal the remains of the elephant.
National Museum official Shawkat Imam said if the government approves they will use the elephant’s hide for research purposes and collect the skeleton and put it on display at the museum.