Elephant found dead in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district

Kolkata: A full-grown elephant was found dead in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district on Monday, less than a week after carcasses of two elephants were discovered in the district, a senior forest official said.

Chief Wildlife Warden Ravikant Sinha said the elephant was found dead near a tea estate in Nagrakata area in the morning hours.

He said it was a male elephant of around 30 years of age.

Another forest official said prima facie the death of the elephant seemed to be natural as no electric wire was found lying near the spot between two tea estates but still the forest department was ascertaining the circumstances and the carcass has been sent for autopsy.

A male pachyderm died of electrocution at Bamandanga area of the district on July 22 and another jumbo also died of electrocution at Ramjhora area also of the district on July 21.

On July 9, a carcass of a male elephant was found in a paddy field near Garo Busty village in the Rajabhatkhawa area adjoining the Buxa Tiger Reserve in neighbouring Alipurduar district.

Six elephants have died in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts, including two near the Buxa Tiger Reserve, since mid-June, forest department sources said.

Four of the six elephant deaths were caused by electrocution, the sources said.