Elephant calf found dead in Cox’s Bazar

An elephant calf was found dead in a stream near the Shalbagan Rohingya camp in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar district on Saturday.

Tariqul Islam, assistant superintendent of Armed Police Battalion (APBn-16), said local people spotted the carcass of the elephant calf at 7:30 am and informed the authorities.

APBn members recovered the body around 10:15 am, reports UNB.

They suspect the elephant calf died three-four days ago after falling from the top of nearby hills, according to several other media reports.

“The matter has been reported to the forest department,” added Tariqul.

Also read - Elephant found dead in Teknaf Rohingya camp

Meanwhile, Moniruzzaman, assistant conservator of Cox's Bazar Forest Division (South), told the Daily Star that they did not notice any bruise on the nearly two-year-old calf’s body.

He added that they asked a veterinary surgeon to perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Earlier, on September 20, the carcass of another elephant in the same area.

Cox's Bazar is among the last few habitats of Asian Elephants categorized as endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The coastal district often sees the death of the giant mammal largely due to manmade traps. Around 130 elephants have died as of September 2021 since 2001, according to the data available with the forest department.