Feasting on elephant meat has become a new trend in the Northeast.
After Mizoram, people in Nagaland have now been found feasting on elephant meat.
Photo of an elephant being skinned for consumption in Nagaland’s Zunheboto district has gone viral on the social media.
According to reports, one elephant was shot dead in a jungle close to Litami village in Central Nagaland’s Zunheboto district. The incident apparently happened on Wednesday.
The elephant, according to reports, was skinned, and the meat was equally distributed amongst the villagers for consumption.
Also Read- Mizoram Forest Dept “inert” over people feasting on elephant meat
Surprisingly, there was no official statement from the Nagaland Forest Department on the killing of the elephant.
It could not be ascertained whether the elephant was a wild or a captive one, and who was actually responsible for killing the elephant.
Well known animal rights activist Suparna Ganguly from Bangalore on Sunday had written to Project Elephant Division of the Ministry of Environment and Forest about a feast on elephant meat in Mizoram.
A 47-year-old captive elephant, Laxmi, died few days ago near the Kanhmun Forest Range in Mamit district of west Mizoram, bordering the Jampui hills of Tripura.
In a most bizarre occurrence, the body of the dead elephant was sliced, and the meat was distributed and consumed openly by the villagers.
Also Read – People feast on meat of dead elephant in Mizoram
Ganguly, co-founder trustee of the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, had requested Noyal Thomas, head of the Project Elephant Division to initiate immediate action on the incident.
It has been found that the owner of the elephant from Sonia in Cachar district of South Assam had leased the elephant to a timber trader near Kanhmun Forest Range to carry heavy logs.
Interestingly, senior official of the Assam Forest Department said no permission was granted for transportation of the elephant, Laxmi to Mizoram.
As per Supreme Court’s orders, elephants cannot be transported from one state to another without the approval of the Chief Wildlife Wardens of both the states.