Ranchi, Nov 4 (IANS) Jharkhand continues to witness a worrying rise in elephant deaths, with another carcass discovered in West Singhbhum district on Wednesday.
The dead elephant was found in a field near Tankura village, taking the number of such incidents reported across the state’s forest regions to four in the last two months.
Villagers spotted the carcass near Burma Toli in Tankura settlement under the Barajamda OP area of West Singhbhum district. According to residents, a herd of around 20 elephants had entered the village limits on Tuesday evening. Villagers said they informed the Forest Department and sought assistance, but no team arrived at the spot. Left on their own, they spent the entire night trying to drive the elephants away from the village.
The next morning, they found one elephant lying dead in a field. The exact cause of death is yet to be ascertained. Villagers suspect the animal may have died due to electrocution, but the real cause will be known only after the post-mortem report.
Residents have questioned the role of the Forest Department and demanded an impartial investigation.
Earlier, on October 28, a dead elephant was found in the Bishunpur forest under Balumath police station limits of Latehar district. After receiving information about the carcass, Forest Department officials reached the spot and conducted an enquiry the following day under the leadership of Ranger Nand Kumar Mahato. Officials suspected that the elephant may have died in a clash with another elephant.
At the beginning of October, a female elephant was also found dead in Bhangaon village of the Jagannathpur area in West Singhbhum. Villagers noticed that both its tusks were missing, raising suspicion that the animal had been poached for the illegal ivory trade.
Forest officials subsequently launched an investigation. Reports indicate that seven elephant deaths have been recorded in this region over the past year.
Earlier, on September 7, an elephant died after coming into contact with a live electric wire in Komar village under Balumath police station limits of Latehar district. A herd of about 15 elephants had moved towards agricultural fields near the village when one of the animals came into contact with electrified fencing installed to protect crops and houses, resulting in its death on the spot.
Elephant movement through villages bordering forests has increased across Jharkhand, and residents are increasingly resorting to dangerous methods to protect their crops and property from the animals and installing electric fencing above the prescribe wattage limits or connecting it directly to the AC mains.
–IANS
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