Jalpaiguri, July 18 -- An adult female elephant was found dead on the sandbank of the Jaldhaka River in Ramsai under the Maynaguri block of Jalpaiguri district on Friday morning. The carcass was discovered within the Nathua Range of Gorumara National Park, triggering concern among forest officials and local residents.
Villagers spotted the lifeless elephant while grazing cattle near the river and immediately alerted the Forest department. Officials from the Nathua Range rushed to the scene and began an investigation. Local residents stated that elephants are often seen roaming the area, but such deaths are rare. Notably, the region experienced light rain, thunder and lightning on Thursday night, leading forest officials to suspect a lightning strike as the possible cause of death. Dwija Pratim Sen, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Gorumara National Park, said: "The elephant was an adult female. There were no visible injury marks or external wounds. A post-mortem has been conducted and we await the report to confirm the cause of death." Meanwhile, in a separate incident late Thursday night, a man was killed in an elephant attack in the Chawapheli area near the Lataguri Forest under the Matiali block. The victim, identified as Rajesh Oraon, was attacked by a wild elephant that approached his home. He died on the spot.
Police from Meteli Police Station, along with the Khunia Squad and forest officials from the Lataguri Range, reached the scene and recovered the body. It was later sent to Jalpaiguri Medical College for post-mortem. According to local sources, the deceased reportedly suffered from mental health issues.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.