Wild elephant stuck in swamp rescued after 30hrs
The elephant was stuck in the soft soil of a paddy field. Local people spotted it on Friday morning
A wild elephant was rescued on Saturday afternoon, 30 hours after being stuck in a swamp in the Chunati area of Lohagara upazila in Chattogram on Friday.
A team from the Wildlife Division of the Bangladesh Forest Department (DoF) rescued the elephant at around 12:20pm.
The elephant was stuck in the soft soil of a paddy field at Narisha village in Chunati under Lohagara upazila in Chattogram. Local people spotted the elephant on Friday morning.
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"After being informed on Friday, we took a team from the Wildlife Division and started the rescue at 7am with the help of the police. We finally got the elephant out and took it to a dry place after 30 hours," said Mobarak Hossain, beat officer of Lohagara of the forest department.
Chittagong Divisional Forest Officer Abu Naser Mohammad Yasin Newaz of the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Department, told The Business Standard, "A team of veterinary doctors from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park at Dulahazra in Cox's Bazar reached the spot at 7am on Saturday. The team found that the wild elephant had gangrene at bottom of its left leg. It might have been wounded as it came through the trees before getting stuck in the swamp."
"We gave the elephant some first-aid treatment there. A team of elephant experts has also been deployed there," he added.
A throng of local villagers had come to see the rescued elephant, but they ran away when a herd of about 8 or 10 elephants suddenly appeared in the evening.
Mobarak Hossain, beat officer of Lohagara of DoF, said the rescued elephant, who appears to be 70 years old and weighs six tonnes, is in critical condition because of the gangrene that has developed on its leg. its treatment was being hampered by incessant rain. However, forest officials put up a tent to keep the elephant dry.
Interestingly, the herd of elephants accompanied the rescued one, the DoF official added.
Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary is known for its Asian elephants. It is also a major corridor for the movement of Asian Elephants between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
