Ukhiya, Sept 19 (V7N) – Forest officials recovered the body of a wild elephant on Wednesday morning from the hilly area of Rafiqer Ghona in Dochhari Beat under Ukhiya Range, marking at least the fourth elephant death in Ukhiya and Teknaf within a year.
 
Locals reported that the elephant was bleeding from its mouth, suggesting it may have been killed using an electrified trap. Due to food shortages, elephant herds often enter cultivated fields, frightening farmers and leading some individuals to resort to illegal and lethal methods. Such actions threaten biodiversity and are considered serious offenses under wildlife conservation laws.
 
Ukhiya Range Officer Abdul Mannan said a detailed survey report of the deceased elephant was prepared. Veterinary surgeons from the Department of Livestock conducted a post-mortem at the scene and collected evidence for laboratory analysis before the elephant was buried. Dochhari Beat Officer Imdadul Hasan Rony confirmed that forest department teams retrieved the body based on local reports and that preliminary findings suggest electrocution as the cause of death.
 
According to forest department records, a mother elephant died during childbirth in Teknaf on January 5, 2025. A few days later, another elephant carcass was found in the hilly streams of Hnila Beat, Teknaf. Additionally, a 35-year-old male elephant was killed in Jumchhari, Ukhiya. The latest death in Dochhari Beat raises concerns about escalating threats to wild elephants in the region.
 
Environmental journalist HM Nazrul Islam said, “The rising death toll of wild elephants in Ukhiya and Teknaf is alarming. Without measures to address food shortages, protect safe habitats, and raise local awareness, the number of elephant and wildlife fatalities may increase further.”
 
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