Elephant rescued in Lohagara dies

An elephant which was rescued from a ditch by forest officials on Friday afternoon passed away on Saturday night.

The 70-year-old female elephant was rescued by forest officials from a ditch in the remote hilly area of Lohagara upazila in Chattogram, said Monzurul Alam, range officer of Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary in Lohagara.

However, she had a wound on her left leg which turned into gangrene after being stuck in the muddy ditch for a long time, resulting in her death, the official said.

Following her rescue on Friday afternoon, she was provided with food and treatment, Monzurul Alam said, adding that she might have been injured by sharp bamboo sticks on the hill.

But the wound in her leg had already gotten severely infected, ultimately leading to death. Some eight companions of the elephant encircled her till Sunday morning, barring forest officials from approaching the dead body.

Later forest officials recovered the body and veterinary surgeons performed autopsy, he said, adding, the body was buried on Sunday afternoon.

Locals and forest officials said flock of elephants often come from the hill in search of food as there is scarcity of food in the hill.