Guwahati: Assam's wildlife protection record has never been good. Now it's getting worse, as the plight of an elephant in the state's western part shows.
The elephant is lying in a paddy field in Kharmauza village, five kilometres from Goalpara town on national highway 37. Eyewitnesses say its tusks have been uprooted and trunk chopped off. The tail is missing.
But when NDTV spoke to state Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain, he described it as a case of fighting between two male elephants.
Eyewitnesses say the elephant was poached. Video footage available with NDTV shows the animal is in extreme pain, with its bleeding trunk and tusks gone.
A medical team has been sent. Forest officials have reached the site and treatment has started. An enquiry headed by the Chief Conservator of Forest will be submitted in 24 hours.
This isn't an isolated case. This summer, rhinos at the Kaziranga National Park were attacked in similar ways - some were de-horned while alive and bled to death. The authorities found that automatic weapons were used in the poaching, indicating that militants may have been involved.
An ongoing operation in the nearby Karbi Anglong hills has helped arrest several poachers and establish their link with traders in neighbouring Nagaland and Myanmar.
Wildlife part trade is one of the biggest underworld trades across nations and India's north-east is strategically wedged between countries where this trade flourishes, with its rich diversity of fauna proving to be an ideal source area.
The elephant is lying in a paddy field in Kharmauza village, five kilometres from Goalpara town on national highway 37. Eyewitnesses say its tusks have been uprooted and trunk chopped off. The tail is missing.
But when NDTV spoke to state Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain, he described it as a case of fighting between two male elephants.
A medical team has been sent. Forest officials have reached the site and treatment has started. An enquiry headed by the Chief Conservator of Forest will be submitted in 24 hours.
Advertisement
An ongoing operation in the nearby Karbi Anglong hills has helped arrest several poachers and establish their link with traders in neighbouring Nagaland and Myanmar.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
"Significant Step," Says Himanta Sarma As Child Marriage Cases Fall By 81% In Assam After 3 Hmar Insurgents Killed In Assam, Warning Over "Fake Information" On Social Media: Sources Assam Flood Situation Improves, Over 3.5 Lakh Still Affected In 11 Districts Bangladesh Imposes Curfew, Deploys Military As 105 Die In Protests "Jindal Group Executive Showed Porn, Groped Me On Flight": Woman To NDTV "Atmanirbharta" Cannot Be At Cost Of Nation's Defence: Air Force Vice Chief Meta Content Moderation Vendors Hit By Global Cyber Outage Conspiracy Theories Take Off After Global IT Crash UP Train Services Resume At Gonda Accident Site Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.