A 10-year-old sub-adult female elephant was found dead in an agricultural field at a village under Dhupguri block of Jalpaiguri on Saturday morning.
The carcass was recovered by foresters and police. They are waiting for the autopsy report and suspect death due to poisoning or electrocution.
According to locals, during the past few days, a herd of wild elephants was regularly entering the Bhandarkura village from the adjoining Khuttimari forest for fodder. “On Friday night also, a herd entered the village. We suspect the elephant was its member and died owing to illness,” said Ayub Ali, a villager.
Foresters, however, are not ready to buy the theory. In north Bengal, a number of elephants have died after coming in contact with a livewire that are illegally laid around agricultural fields to prevent damaging of crops. “Also, pesticides are extensively used in brinjal cultivation. The location where the carcass was found is next to such a field,” said a forester.