Reported by Laxman Sharma
Digboi: Two high-profile elephant-related cases—the death of an elephant calf during a treatment camp in Doomdooma and the failure to recover a poached tusk in Lakhipathar, have brought Assam’s Forest Department under scrutiny, with sources indicating that Uttar Pradesh-based NGO Wildlife SOS (WSOS) has been disengaged from elephant-related projects in the state following the fallout from the Doomdooma incident.
According to Forest Department sources, the reported decision follows the death of a 13-month-old elephant calf that underwent treatment during a health check-up camp conducted under the Doomdooma Forest Division in April. The calf reportedly died within 24 hours of the intervention, triggering concern among conservationists and wildlife activists.
Sources said the controversy and subsequent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the calf’s death prompted a review of the NGO’s role in elephant-related activities. While no official order has been made public, sources maintained that the department has decided to discontinue the arrangement in connection with elephant conservation initiatives.
The incident led to calls for accountability and a transparent investigation into the treatment administered during the camp and the oversight of wildlife healthcare interventions involving external agencies.
Meanwhile, another elephant-related case remains unresolved in the Digboi Forest Division, where authorities are yet to recover a tusk allegedly hacked off a wild elephant by poachers in the Lakhipathar Range near Dhuli Gaon.
Although two suspects were arrested in connection with the case, the missing ivory has not been recovered months after the arrests. Wildlife observers and local residents have questioned the progress of the investigation, noting that the tusk remains a crucial piece of evidence.
Conservation stakeholders have argued that the unrecovered ivory could provide important leads regarding possible links to a wider poaching and trafficking network.
The case has also drawn comparisons with a previous elephant poaching investigation in the same range. In 2025, following the electrocution and poaching of a wild elephant, the Digboi Forest Division recovered a 1.6-foot-long ivory tusk weighing around 1.8 kg after a 19-day search operation.
The ivory was recovered from the residence of the prime accused, Nitul Moran of Upper Mamorani village. The investigation later led to the arrest of another accused, Ankur Moran.
Officials familiar with that operation attributed the recovery to sustained intelligence gathering and follow-up investigation. In contrast, the tusk removed in the latest Lakhipathar case remains untraced despite the arrest of two suspects.
The two incidents have reignited discussions on wildlife governance, conservation oversight and anti-poaching enforcement in Assam.
Repeated attempts to obtain comments from senior Forest Department officials regarding the reported disengagement of Wildlife SOS and progress in the tusk recovery investigation were unsuccessful. An official statement from the department is awaited.