Makauna, an indigenous elephant at KTWR found dead

ITAHARI: OCT. 3 – An indigenous elephant of Nepal’s only wildlife reserve Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR) has found dead. The tusk-less male indigenous wild elephant of the KTWR was reported to have died at 7:30 am, said Ankit Poudel, a ranger of the KTWR.

”We are yet to figure out the cause of death,” said Poudel. The elephant was found dead in the paddy field, said Krishna Bahab, a local journalist. He said a live wire was also spotted nearby the elephant.

Months ago, the Sunsari district administration had planned to kill the elephant after it killed locally. However, after the huge public uproar, this stated plan was paused.

With the demise of Makauna, there are only 16 wild elephants within the wildlife zone.

According to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation under the Ministry of Forest and Environment, KTWR was Established in 1976 and is spanned over 176 square kilometres of the area along with 173.50 square kilometres of a buffer zone.

There are repeated human-wildlife conflicts. Listed in the Ramsar site, which means the wetland with global significance, in 1987, KTWR is the only conservation area in the eastern Terai.

-Birat Anupam/RSS