A wild elephant, injured in a firing about a fortnight ago, died on Wednesday in the Kaziranga National Park.
The adult male elephant had received bullet injuries on its leg when unidentified miscreants had fired at it about two weeks ago, park officials said. Veterinarians had tranquilised the animal with medicines but it succumbed to its injuries this morning, the sources said.
This is the fifth elephant that has died within a week in the state. Another pachyderm was injured and its trunk removed during the same period.
The carcass of a tusker was found in Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary under Jorhat Forest Division earlier on December 11. It is believed to have been poisoned. Both its tusks had been removed.
An ailing male tusker died in Dulung Reserve Forest in Lakhimpur district on December seven last. Its carcass and trunk were hacked by unidentified miscreants
Two male elephants were electrocuted by high voltage wires in Golaghat district on December four when a herd of about 40 elephants had come down from the neighbouring Karbi Hills to a paddy field.
In another tragic incident, an injured elephant was stuck in the mud for several days and its tusks removed which forest officials claimed was due to infighting near Pancharatna in Goalpara.PTI
