An elephant calf was found dead at Chambol Union under Banshkhali upazila of Chattogram today.

Upon information from locals, a team of the forest department went to the spot and recovered the body of the calf around 7:00am, reports our Chattogram staff correspondent quoting Anisuzzam Sheikh, ranger of Jaldi Range, Department of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation.

A team of the livestock department has conducted an autopsy to determine the cause of death of the calf, aged around one and a half years, he said.

"Primarily, we assumed that the elephant had died after falling from the hills. The elephant was buried in the area," he added.

The autopsy report will confirm the reason behind the animal's death, said Rafiqul Islam Chowdhury, divisional forest officer.

Mentionable, the mammal is categorised as critically endangered in the IUCN list due to its dwindling population.

According to the Department of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation, at least seven elephants died last year across Chattogram and Cox's Bazar.