13.6.12

Elephant calf shot, hacked to death



A six-month-old elephant calf was first shot at its hind leg and was later hacked to death after it crossed the Mechi river to enter Nepal. The calf, which had raided a maize field with a herd, was attacked by some locals with sharp weapons. The foresters have identified another injured female elephant from the same herd, which was last located in the forests of Kalabari. The incident took place at Aldangi village in Nepal’s Jhapa district. The villagers allegedly opened fire at the herd that had crossed over to Nepal from Kalabari forests in Bengal’s Naxalbari area. The herd managed to retreat into the Indian territory except the calf, which fell on the ground and became an easy prey to the villagers. Foresters fear that there may be more injured elephants in the herd.In February, an adult female elephant had suffered bullet injury in Nepal and died in Sukna forest because of septicaemia. In last four years, eight elephants were killed and 20 were injured after herds entered Nepal. Two other elephants were electrocuted after they came in contact with electric wires, which the villagers of Bamandangi had laid on the banks of Mechi river that works as a natural barrier against elephants trying to enter Nepal. 
Elephants from India generally enter Nepal twice a year — during the monsoons and in the November-December, when farmers harvest their second crop of the year. The region is a part of their conventional corridor from Mechi in Nepal to Sankosh in Assam. On their 
way, they often depredate human habitats in search of food, which sometimes also results in loss of human lives. According to reports, people in Nepal, living along the Indo-Nepal border areas, consider the animals as ‘Indians’ and are not ready to suffer. It is therefore, whenever they cross over to Nepal, villagers open fire at the pachyderms. 

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