Five arrested over elephant killing in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan police have arrested five men for allegedly killing a wild elephant, with officers seizing ivory and tusk-cutting tools, officials said Friday. Villagers in the island’s northwest had alerted wildlife authorities after a popular local elephant called “Dala Poottuwa”, or crossed tusker, disappeared.

Its carcass was later found with a bullet wound in the skull. Authorities broke up what they say is a poaching network as part of their investigation, charging five men with killing the elephant. “They had in their possession several tools used to cut tusks (and) two ivory pendants,” said police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera.

Elephants are protected under Sri Lankan law and poachers can face the death penalty for killing one. Tusked elephants are rare in Sri Lanka, accounting for less than five per cent of the island’s estimated elephant population of around 6000. That figure has declined from the last official census of the island’s elephants, which identified more than 7300 animals.

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://www.osnepal.com/418487

Elephant carcass found in Kanchanpur paddy field

BHIMDATTANAGAR: A wild elephant was found dead at Kha Gaun in Punarwas Municipality of Kanchanpur district on Friday.

An estimated five-year-old male elephant from a nearby jungle across the border in India was found lying dead in a local paddy field, said the Kanchanpur District Forest Office.

Shiva Prasad Sharma of the DFO suspected that the elephant could have died due to illness since it did not have any injuries on its body but only a bloated stomach.

The elephant was buried after due legal process on the same day. A team from the Area Forest Office has started investigation into the death of the baby elephant.

Herds of elephants inhabiting the Dudhwa National Park in India, stray into Nepal’s Punarwas area from time to time.

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/elephant-carcass-found-in-kanchanpur-paddy-field/

Elephant found dead on Indo-Nepal migratory route

Bengal officials blame fence put up by the Nepal government, say it has led to increased territorial fights.

AN ADULT tusker was found dead in Kalabari forest under Panighata range, around 30 km from Siliguri in North Bengal on Thursday. Officials suspect that the tusker died of injuries sustained in territorial fight with another elephant but are waiting for autopsy report to confirm the cause of death.

The area where the body was found fall on a century-old migration route along the Indo-Nepal border.

West Bengal forest department has maintained that an 18-km long electric fence set up by Nepal in the area has prevented elephants from migrating leading to increased cases of conflict and tusker deaths.

To read the full article, click on the story title

Killer Elephant To Be Killed In Nepal

Bernama
September 29, 2008

KATHMANDU, Sept 29 (Bernama) -- Local administration in southeastern Nepal has directed the district forest office to kill a wild elephant that has killed 13 people and destroyed property of locals, China's Xinhua news agency reported Monday.

According to forest officer Jeeban Kumar Thakur of the local administration of Lahan, Siraha district, some 130 km southeast of Nepali capital Kathmandu, issued the direction during a meeting held at the forest office on Sunday by using the authority under the Local Administration Act.

The administration asked the forest officials to try to chase the elephant at first and kill it if posed threat to public security.

The elephant has killed 13 persons in Siraha and Saptari districts so far, destroyed 100 houses and damaged crops.

A six-member team led by Dr. Thakur Prasad Gaire from Chitwan National Park, at the direction of Ministry for Forest and Soil Conservation, has already arrived in Siraha to kill the beast.

To read the full article click on the story title

Wild elephant shot again

Statesman News Service

June 24, 2008

SILIGURI, June 22: Yet another Indian wild elephant was killed in Nepal. This time, it's a 40-year old female pachyderm that has succumbed to bullet injuries allegedly inflicted by the Nepal police in the eastern district of Jhapa adjacent to the Siliguri sub-division.

According to Ms Sumita Ghatak, the divisional forest officer, Mahananda Wildlife Division - I in Siliguri, a herd of nearly 80 Indian elephants had strayed into Nepal from the Kalabari forests near Naxalbari in Siliguri last night but were brought back by the authorities in the neighbouring country.

"Early this morning, the locals discovered the dead body of an adult pachyderm at Bamundangi area on the Nepal side and informed us. The carcass bore several bullet injuries on its forehead and other parts of the body. We have informed the senior officials in state forest department about the incident,” Ms Ghatak said.

For the full article click on the story title

At Indo-Nepal border, elephant found dead

Express News Service

June 23, 2008

Kolkata, June 22 The carcass of an adult elephant was found near the Indo-Nepal border on Sunday. The elephant had suffered bullet injuries in its head, which caused its death.

The state forest officials said the elephant was a member of the herd that had strayed into Bamundangi village in Nepal, close to the Indo-Nepal border from the Kalabari jungle of North Bengal.

It is alleged that either the Nepalese villagers or the police fired at the herd when the elephant entered the village. Sources said that other members of the herd might also have suffered injuries.

This isn't the first time that such an incident has taken place. On June 18, an elephant was electrocuted when it had strayed into the same village.

For the full article click on the story title

World's biggest Asian elephant missing in Nepal

Reuters

5 December 2007

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - What is thought to be the world's largest Asian elephant has been missing from a Nepali wildlife reserve for a year and may well be dead, a reserve official said on Wednesday.

Raja Gaj, or king elephant, was estimated to be 11 feet 3 inches tall at the shoulder, some two feet taller than the average Asian elephant. The bull was one of the main tourist attractions at Bardia National Park in southwest Nepal.

"When I saw it last it was lean and thin, and finding it difficult to carry its own weight," Phanindra Kharel, a senior conservationist at the park, said.

To read the full story click on the blog title

Raja Gaj is, or was, more than 70 years old.

"There is very little possibility of finding such an old animal alive."

Nepal's endangered elephants threatened by tuberculosis

Deutsche Presse-Agentur Jul 30, 2007 Kathmandu - Nepal's dwindling population of endangered Asian elephants, already under threat from expanding human settlements, is faced with danger from tuberculosis, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said Monday. The warning came during a workshop on 'Disease Diagnosis and Treatment of Elephants' attended by experts from several national and international organizations working for the protection of the animals. WWF said the elephants in captivity in and around Chitwan National Park, about 120 kilometres south-west of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, were exposed to the possibility of several infectious diseases including tuberculosis. 'A total of 120 elephants have been tested for tuberculosis in Chitwan since 2006,' WWF said. 'As of now, six 'high risk' elephants out of 25 suspected with tuberculosis are being segregated from other elephants for observation.' The workshop also discussed the possibility of the disease spreading to Nepal's small wild elephant population, which could have devastating consequences. To read the full story click on the blog title

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.

Poachers kill elephant

Statesman News Service

July 11, 2007

SILIGURI, July 11: A wild elephant was shot dead allegedly by poachers at Bamandangi in Nepal’s Jhapa ditrict yesterday.

The area where the incident occurred is barely 12 kilometre away from Panitanki.

Locals found the body of the female elephant yesterday and immediately brought the matter to the notice of the authorities concerned.

The ranger of the district forest office, Jhapa, said: “Three bullets were found in the elephant’s body. The poachers took the animal’s body parts after killing it.”

Nepal 'apathy' over elephant TB

BBC

June 12, 2007

Nepal's government has been accused of "inaction and apathy" after it emerged that 10 out of 250 endangered elephants are suffering from tuberculosis (TB).

Officials at Chitwan National Park say government ministries have ignored requests for help to give treatment.

They warn there is a danger that TB may spread to humans and other animals.

The park in southern Nepal attracts thousands of tourists every year. The government says that the detection of TB in elephants is a new development.

"It is uncommon," Babu Ram Yadav of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife told the BBC's Sushil Sharma in Kathmandu.

He said that the TB outbreak needed to be taken seriously as the disease could spread to humans and new-born elephants.

But Mr Yadav ruled out government negligence in the upkeep of the elephants as a cause of the disease.

To read the full story click on the Blog title

Rare Nepal elephants have tuberculosis

Reuters

June 12, 2007

KATHMANDU Ten of Nepal's 250 endangered elephants are suffering from tuberculosis in a national park and the disease is threatening to spread to humans and other wildlife, authorities said on Monday.

Chitwan National Park in southern Nepal attracts thousands of tourists every year and has numerous rare wildlife, such as rhinoceroses and tigers.

Park authorities said tests had confirmed at least 10 of 100 domesticated Asian elephants in Chitwan had contracted the disease in the past two years.

"Tests have confirmed that the elephants have tested positive for TB and we are trying to provide treatment," Kamal Gaire, a senior veterinary official, said by phone from Chitwan, 50 miles south of Kathmandu.

To read the full story click on the Blog title