Local Residents Of Rajapara Area Rue Death Of Wild Tusker

HT Correspondent
BOKO, March 1: One wild adult female elephant, which was trapped in the Rajapara area under the Bondapara forest range in the West Kamrup Forest Division from the last four weeks finally gave in to fate and died after it suffered injuries on its right leg and various parts of its body.
People alleged that the elephant died due to the negligence of the state forest department and the veterinary department of Assam. When the locals realised the elephant was injured and could not move properly, they informed Rimpi Borah, the range officer of the Bondapara Range office.
Arabinda Rabha, a local youth of Bondapara area said, “I condemn the negligence of the forest department and the veterinary department.”
Regarding the treatment of the injured elephant, Rabha said, “Why the state government failed to give proper and better treatment, even after having two departments in Assam? Who will take proper care of such incidents?”
“Assam government recently reacted about an elephant – ‘Joymala’, after coming to know that the elephant was being tortured in Tamil Nadu state, which was alleged by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and now, the same government has failed to take care of this elephant in their own state,” alleged Rabha.
The elephant carcass was seen by local public in a field near Kukurmara Reserve Forest under Bondapara Forest Range office on Tuesday evening. After that, hundreds of people of the area came to the spot and paid their last tribute with flowers, Assamese traditional gamosa, burnt incense, frankincense and clay candles. People from Rajapara, Dekapara, Kukurmara, Sukuniapara, Sonalipara, Kalitapara, Khorapara and from many other places arrived at the spot and paid their tribute to the wild adult female elephant.
It is to be mentioned here, on February 8, Dr Kushal Konwar Sarma, famous as the elephant doctor of Assam, who was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2020, reached Rajapara with a medical team and a forest team.
However, by then the elephant had moved to the jungle, so the forest and veterinarian team searched the whole day. However, they were unable to locate the elephant. Later people of the area alleged that the Forest department did not do anything for the elephant after that day.
“We spotted the elephant many times and the elephant was very weak due to lack of food,” Rabha added.
“We have always worshiped elephants, but at the same time, we regularly suffer from wild elephant attacks. We are trying to feed the elephant. As she cannot move, she stands near a paddy field to drink water and she eats all the food items like sugarcane, vegetables, bananas, etc., that we feed her,” added Arabinda Rabha.
However, regarding the matter, Meghali Rabha, 73 no Paschim Bekeli gaon panchayat president wrote a letter to Indira Kalita, the director of the Assam State Veterinary department for taking immediate action.
Meghali Rabha said, “One doctor from the veterinary department contacted me and said that whenever they will come to check the elephant, they will inform me.”
“But I think no one came to check the elephant from the department, because after that no one contacted me regarding the matter. But people of the area were requesting me to contact higher officials for treatment,” added Meghali Rabha.
When speaking with Indira Kalita, she said that the veterinary department only takes treatment of pets, cattle and other domestic animals.
“I told Meghali Rabha to inform the forest department,” Kalita added.
People of the area are now getting angered by the forest department for their negligence.
Rimpi Borah, the range officer of Bondapara Range office said she was informed that the elephant fell while trying to chase a cow that was grazing nearby and then could not stand up and died.
“A zoo doctor’s team came later for a post mortem report and they said that several organs of the elephant failed before its death,” added Rimpi Borah.
About the negligence, she replied that because of the major injuries, doctors refused to treat the elephant by darting.
“We gave her medicines mixed in foods, but she never ate,” Borah replied.
Later the state forest officials buried the carcass of the elephant with the help of an excavator near the spot where the elephant died.