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Carcass of the wild elephant calf found in Tamulpur on Tuesday (Photo: AT)

Tamulpur, June 23: A wild elephant calf's carcass was found in Bogajuli, located in Assam's Tamulpur district, on Tuesday. Forest officials are currently investigating the cause of death.

As soon as the carcass was discovered, forest personnel arrived at the scene. However, their efforts to recover and examine the body were hindered by two adult elephants that were nearby, preventing access to the area.

Local residents reported that they first became aware of the situation due to loud calls from the elephants early in the morning. One resident recounted, “We heard loud calls and noises as soon as we woke up and then saw two elephants standing near a dead calf. Later, officials from the Forest Department arrived and began an investigation.”

One of the adult elephants is believed to be the mother, who has been protective of the calf, chasing away anyone who attempted to approach.

Another local speculated that a fallen tree might have caused the calf's demise, although there is no evidence to confirm this theory. “A tree in the forest reportedly fell and it could have been a reason for the calf’s death. However, we are not certain, as no one witnessed the incident,” the resident stated.

While forest officials suspect that the calf may have died from natural causes, no official confirmation has been provided at this time.

This incident occurs against the backdrop of ongoing human-elephant conflicts in the border area. Just the previous night, wild elephants reportedly entered Bogajuli and Simluguri villages, causing damage to several homes and impacting numerous families.

The region has seen a rise in elephant-related incidents recently, with a large herd from the Bhutan hills frequently entering Bogajuli and neighboring villages, damaging properties and crops, and instilling fear among the residents.

Forest officials plan to conduct a thorough examination of the carcass once the area is safe and the adult elephants have vacated the vicinity.