Reported by Manoj Kumar Ojha
Guwahati: The reported death of an elephant calf in a tea estate near Numaligarh in upper Assam’s Golaghat district has raised concern among wildlife conservationists and animal welfare advocates, with questions being raised over the circumstances of the incident and the response of authorities.
The issue came to public attention on Friday after environmental activist and wildlife rescuer Devajit Moran shared a video on social media claiming that an elephant calf had died several days earlier in Sector No. 10 of Daigrung Tea Estate.
Moran claimed that the incident was not reported in the media and that local residents were largely unaware of the calf’s death.
He stated that information about the incident emerged only after local residents informed him and his team. In his post, he alleged that a lack of awareness and preventive measures by the Forest Department and tea estate management may have contributed to the incident.
He also raised concerns over limited attention to deaths of certain wildlife species, stating that many such cases do not receive adequate scrutiny despite their conservation importance.
Moran has appealed to the Assam Government to order an inquiry into the incident and determine whether any lapses or negligence occurred. He also called for action if any shortcomings in wildlife protection measures are found.
The video has generated discussion on social media, with users calling for transparency on the circumstances of the calf’s death and stronger protection measures for elephants in tea garden and human-dominated areas.
At the time of filing this report, the Forest Department and the tea estate management had not issued any official statement on the allegations.
The claims made in the social media post could not be independently verified.