KATHMANDU — On the morning of Jan. 5, a soldier deployed at the Chitwan National Park shot a wild elephant (Elephas maximus) after it allegedly attacked an elephant patrol attempting to guide it back into the jungle. According to the national park, the makuna (a name given to bulls without tusks) charged at the patrol party, throwing ranger Shyam Tamang off his mount. To save the ranger, the soldier fired at the animal, and it later died, according to a release issued by the Chitwan National Park following the incident. Although it appears to be a straightforward case of self-defense, some conservationists and activists say the incident involving an elephant that had been radio-collared only a few months ago, is concerning. “The team couldn’t do anything to stop the elephant,” said Abinash Thapa Magar, information officer at the national park. “As the lives of the team members were at risk, the soldier opened fire aiming for its legs,” he added. But the bullet struck the animal’s neck and it died. Wild Asian elephants, categorize such as the makuna and its herd once roamed the entire east-west corridor of Nepal’s southern plains. Although their historic population remains unknown for paucity of records, the flood plains of the Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali provided enough food for them and the lack of human settlement meant they could move freely. But today, the human migration rush to the terai, development of roads and infrastructure hindered their free movement. The makuna, first seen in the…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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