An elephant was discovered deceased after becoming ensnared in an electric trap wire in the Ukhiya upazila of Cox’s Bazar. The Forest Department retrieved the body from a farmland in the Pashchim Khayrati area of the Rajapalang union earlier today. Local UP member Syed Hamza reported that residents came across the lifeless elephant and promptly informed the Forest Department.
Abdul Mannan, the Ukhiya Range Officer of Cox’s Bazar South Forest Department, mentioned that locals sighted the deceased adult elephant in a field during the morning. Subsequently, the Forest Department visited the location and retrieved the carcass. He noted that the elephant exhibited dark burn marks on its body, leading to suspicions that it perished upon encountering an illegally placed electric trap within the vicinity.
Dochhari Beat Officer Emdadul Haque Rony highlighted that certain farmers install electric fencing around their farmlands to deter crop damage, inadvertently resulting in the unfortunate entanglement and demise of elephants. A resident named Md Yunus shared that many farmers resort to electric traps to safeguard their paddy fields and banana plantations, contributing to the fatalities of elephants.
Following an autopsy, the elephant was laid to rest, and investigations are ongoing to ascertain the specific cause of death. The Forest Department disclosed that five wild elephants have succumbed in Ukhiya and Teknaf from January to November 18, 2025. These fatalities include a mother elephant in Teknaf, two elephants in Hnila Beat and Jumchhari, one in Dochhari, and the most recent one in Pashchim Khayrati of Ukhiya.