Elephant herd fired at in Nepal

Siliguri, June 20 (PTI) - A herd of 40 wild elephants
from the Indian side which crossed over to Nepal in search of
food, was fired upon in which one calf was killed.

The carcass of the three year-old female calf was
found lying at Bamandanga, 50 feet from the international
border inside Nepal Wednesday with bullet injury on its trunk,
Sashastra Suraksha Bal (S.S.B.) officials guarding the
Indo-Nepal border, said here Thursday.

It appeared that the calf, hit by bullets, was
electrocuted while fleeing back to India, the S.S.B. said.

Some elephants with bullet injuries had entered
Tararabari and Kalabari villages in India creating panic, the
D.F.O. (wild life), Darjeeling, Sumita Ghatak said.

Expressing concern over the incident, Ghatak said three
trained elephants were pressed into service to locate the
injured elephants for necessary treatment.

On Monday, a bullet hit elephant was found at Dalka
forest near Bagdogra here and was being treated but its chance
of survival was slim, Ghatak said.

West Bengal Minister for Forest Ananta Roy told reporters
that firing on wild elephants was "inhuman" as elephants of
both countries were using this corridor.

The state government would take up the issue with the
Centre and urge the latter to hold immedate talks with the
Nepal government and stop the practice of attack on elephants
straying into Nepal from India as already 10 elephants from
India had been killed during the last five years.

An official of Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation,
Animesh Bose said that in Nepal the agricultural fields were
guarded by live electric wire instead of the Indian system of
battery operated low voltage wires. PTI