Boko, July 12: A seven-year-old wild elephant was found dead near the Nampathar Reserved Forest in Assam’s Boko on Saturday, with forest officials suspecting electrocution as the likely cause of death.
The carcass was recovered around 100 metres from the Nampathar road under the Bandapara Forest Office. Forest personnel rushed to the site after receiving information and secured the area.
Officials said the exact cause of death will be confirmed after a post-mortem examination. However, preliminary findings suggest the elephant may have died due to electrocution.
The incident has once again drawn attention to the growing threats faced by wild elephants in Assam, where electrocution, train accidents and poisoning continue to claim elephant lives despite ongoing conservation efforts. A recent Wildlife Institute of India (WII) report identified illegal and unsafe electric fencing used to protect crops as one of the leading causes of elephant electrocution in the state. The report recommended stricter enforcement against illegal power connections and stronger coordination between the Forest Department and the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) to prevent such deaths.
Assam is home to an estimated 4,159 wild elephants, the second-largest population in India after Karnataka, according to the latest DNA-based All India Synchronous Elephant Estimation (SAIEE).
The latest figures presented in the Assam Assembly underline the scale of the state’s human-elephant conflict. Between 2016 and 2026, 1,147 people and 246 elephants lost their lives in conflict-related incidents. Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah informed the House that electrocution and train accidents remain among the leading causes of elephant fatalities in the state.
Forest officials said further action will be taken after the post-mortem report is received and the investigation is completed.
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