Guwahati: A seven-year-old wild elephant was found dead near the Nampathar Reserved Forest in Assam‘s Boko on Sunday, July 12, with officials suspecting electrocution as the likely cause.
The carcass was located around 100 metres off the Nampathar road within the jurisdiction of the Bandapara Forest Office. After receiving the information, Forest Department personnel rushed to the site and began an inquiry into the incident.
While initial evidence suggests the animal did not die of natural causes, officials said the final cause of death will be determined only after the post-mortem examination.
The death has renewed concerns over the persistent dangers wild elephants face outside protected habitats, particularly from exposed power lines and other human-created hazards.
Assam continues to hold one of India’s largest elephant populations. The latest All-India Synchronous Elephant Estimation (SAIEE), based on DNA analysis, estimates the state has 4,159 wild elephants, the second-highest count in the country after Karnataka. Separately, the Assam Forest Department’s own survey recorded 5,828 elephants, indicating that the population remains relatively stable.
Even so, conflict between humans and elephants remains a serious issue. Government figures presented in the Assam Assembly reveal that 1,147 people and 246 elephants have died in such incidents over the past decade.
Authorities will decide on the next course of action after the post-mortem findings establish the exact circumstances surrounding the elephant’s death.