Severed head of elephant found in Bengal river; poachers' role suspected

The severed head of an elephant, with tusks missing, was recovered from a river in Alipurduar district of north Bengal on Friday, forest officials said. Officials familiar with the matter said the animal is suspected to have been killed by poachers in Assam.

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“Preliminary probe suggests that the elephant was not killed in our territory. It was killed somewhere in Assam. We are coordinating with our counterparts in Assam,” Debashis Sharma, deputy field director of Buxa Tiger Reserve (East), told the reporters.

He said poachers might have killed the elephant for its tusks in Assam. After getting the tusks, they severed the head and threw it in the river to dispose it.

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On Friday evening, villagers living near Volka range of Buxa reserve spotted the severed elephant head in Sankosh river, close to Bengal-Assam border.

“It appears the elephant was killed recently,” said Prabhat Barman, Volka forest range officer.