Elephant Killed in Nepal

Anandabazar

July 12, 2007

A herd of Elephant from India crossed the Mechi River and entered the cornfields of Debiganj of Nepal on Tuesday morning of July 6 and were greeted by swarms of bullets that killed a full-grown female Elephant, and injured at least six of them including a calf, a source from forest dept said. Though the herd fled back to the forest of Kalabari in North Bengal, there were no traces of them till Thursday morning as the search continued with the help of Kunki elephants. The state Govt of West Bengal has sent a note to the Foreign Affairs Dept in the capital.

The forest dept of West Bengal has been able to gather a video footage on the elephant massacre shot through a mobile phone by a villager, which clearly shows how the female Elephant died on the spot and even after getting bullet shots on her trunk and legs, another mother Elephant tried to save her calf. The officer of Sukna range said that the video footage was handed over to the higher authority and with the help of the footage, they are searching the wounded and the herd.

The Forest Minister described the incident as a very strange and rare case as the border area is guarded by the Nepal police and the army. He expressed his concern that in spite of the fact that the army and Nepal police are guarding the area, it's daring for a group of people to do such a notorious thing. The matter has also been reported to the Chief Minister. The PCCF of West Bengal confirmed the death of one Elephant and said that since the issue is an international one, the Central Govt. has been requested to take up the matter with the Nepal Govt.

The forest dept reports that on Tuesday afternoon the herd entered Debiganj of Bamundanga, Nepal after crossing Mechi River, 35 km away from Nakshalbari in West Bengal. When 8 or 9 of them proceeded towards the cornfield the hordes of bullets came down. The villagers informed that the molar teeth, part of trunk, tail and nails were chopped off from the carcass. The incident also baffled the staff members of the Nepal forest & animal welfare dept, who admitted that the area is a regular corridor for the Elephants.

The forest minister hinted the fact which was endorsed by the villagers of Bamundanga that this massacre was done by none other than the Nepal border security force. Every year in this season the Elephants cross the border and enter the cornfields. This year too this particular group of around 59 Elephants were moving around the Mechi river and the Nepali villagers were driving them away almost regularly with poison arrows and stones. Few years back these same villagers had brutally stoned an Elephant calf to death in front of its mother and after that incident the mother became rogue and trampled 13 persons in Nakshalbari. Finally she had to be shot dead by the West Bengal forest dept.

People of Debiganj and Kalabari added that they heard excruciating sounds of the Elephants after the gun-shots.