Wild elephant killed, buried in secret

A sensational incident of brutally killing a wild elephant and hiding its body by burying it has been uncovered in Chakaria upazila of Cox's Bazar.

The incident took place in the remote forest area of Kakara union of the upazila. After the killing, the perpetrators buried the elephant's body in a hole and tried to hide the incident by building a temporary mud house on it.

However, the end was not saved. The incident came to light when the strong stench emanating from the rotting body came to the attention of the Forest Department.

According to the Forest Department and local sources, about a month ago, a wild elephant, approximately 10 years old, was killed in the deep forest of Muslim Nagar and Karima Katar Ghona areas of Ward No. 1 of kakara Union.

Later, the killers dug a hole to conceal the carcass and built a small house on it, so that the matter appears normal from the outside. A strong stench spread in the area for the past few days, raising suspicions among the locals. While investigating the matter, a patrol team from the Nalbila forest area of the forest department identified the elephant's body buried under the house last Thursday.

When the incident came to light, a team of the forest department, police and experts reached the spot and started investigation.

Phansiakhali Range Officer Md. Sadequr Rahman, Veterinary Surgeon of Dulahazara Safari Park Dr. Mostafizur Rahman, Chakaria Police Station and Phaitong Outpost Police participated in the collection and inspection of evidence. Later, Dr. Mostafizur Rahman completed the autopsy of the elephant's body on the spot.

Forest officials initially believed that the elephant might have been killed by shooting or electrocution through a generator.

However, the specific cause could not be confirmed due to the decomposition of the body. Initiatives have been taken for lab tests to confirm the matter.

Environmentalists say the construction of house to hide the elephant's body proves that an organised gang may be involved in the killing of wild animals in the area.

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