Forest officials say the elephant suffered severe spinal and abdominal injuries after rolling down a rocky slope, highlighting risks facing Teknaf’s hill-dwelling Asian elephants during heavy rain.
A wild mother elephant that was critically injured after falling from a hill during continuous rain in Teknaf, in Bangladesh’s southeastern Cox’s Bazar district, died on Sunday while undergoing treatment, forest officials said.
The elephant died around 10:00am, nearly a day after it was injured on Saturday, Md Monirul Islam, assistant conservator of forests for Teknaf and Ukhiya under the Cox’s Bazar South Forest Division.
According to the Forest Department, the incident took place on Saturday afternoon on Shialyaghona hill in the Naityangpara area of Ward 1 of Teknaf municipality. Continuous rainfall had softened the soil and caused a partial landslide, and the elephant rolled about 300 feet down the hill while descending a slope.
Local residents first found the elephant injured and informed the Forest Department. Forest officials and officers from the Teknaf upazila livestock department later reached the site and began treatment.
Monirul Islam said it was initially believed that the elephant had come close to human settlements in search of food because of heavy rainfall.
“No other herd of elephants was seen nearby at the time of the accident. The elephant may have become separated from a herd in the hilly area and entered that place,” he said.
He said the elephant suffered a serious spinal injury, its two hind legs became paralysed and it sustained a deep wound in its abdomen. Its injuries became more severe after it hit trees and stones while rolling down the hill.
“Despite our best efforts, it was not possible to save the elephant,” he said.
Abdur Rashid, range officer of the Teknaf Range, said the elephant was treated by a team of wildlife veterinarians from the Teknaf upazila veterinary hospital and Dulahazara Safari Park.
As the remote hilly terrain made it impossible to move the elephant elsewhere, treatment and close observation had to be carried out at the site, he said.
He said the hill was rocky, and the elephant may also have suffered a head injury while rolling down.
Over the past decade, wild elephants have died in the hilly areas of Teknaf after slipping or because of landslides, but the extent of injuries in this case was much more severe, Rashid said.
According to the Forest Department, the elephant was estimated to be between 20 and 25 years old. It was about 30 feet long and 10 feet tall. At least 23 Asian elephants roam in the Shialyaghona hill area.
Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer SM Anik Chowdhury, the chief government administrator of the sub-district, said the elephant died while undergoing treatment after being critically injured in the fall.
He said a veterinary team was preparing to conduct a post-mortem examination to confirm the exact cause of death. After the examination, the elephant will be buried at a designated site in the forest area under the supervision of the Forest Department.
