Wild elephants in Nghe An may have died due to old age

On the morning of February 17, Mr. Pham Duc Thanh - Deputy Head of Nghe An Forest Protection Department led a working group of the industry to the scene of the wild elephant carcass discovered in Chau Phong commune (Quy Chau district). "The group is responsible for investigating the cause of the elephant's death and handling the next steps," said the leader of Nghe An Forest Protection Department.

The badly decomposed body of a mother elephant was discovered in a forest in Chau Phong commune, Quy Chau district. Photo: Contributor

The elephant's body was discovered by locals while they were in the forest the day before. Mr. Le Hai Ly - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quy Chau district said that immediately after receiving the news from the locals, he directly led a working group to the scene for inspection. The group included representatives of the district police, the district People's Procuracy, the Veterinary Department and the Forest Protection Department.

"The area where the elephant's body was found is deep in the natural forest, about 3km from the residential area. The elephant's body was on a slope, with no unusual signs around. The trees were not broken, and there were no signs of being trapped or hunted," said Mr. Ly.

According to Mr. Ly, the elephant's body was badly decomposed, leaving only skin and bones, along with a little flesh on the head, part of the stomach... Through that, the working group determined that the elephant had died more than a month ago.

"Currently, we do not have enough basis to conclude the cause of the elephant's death. However, in our opinion, we can rule out the possibility that it was murdered. According to village elders, this elephant was about 60 years old and the average age of Asian elephants in the wild is also around that age. We believe that the elephant died because it was too old and weak, combined with cold weather and scarce food sources," Mr. Ly said, adding that the baby elephant has not been recorded appearing near residential areas recently. Its current whereabouts are unknown. This baby elephant is also about 30 years old.

According to the reporter's investigation, not long ago, the specialized agency sent a photo of this elephant to elephant experts in Africa to determine the age of the elephant. However, because the photo was taken by the people was too blurry, the experts could not determine it. According to the village elders in Chau Phong, this female elephant is also over 60 years old. Previously, the elephant herd was quite large, but in the past few decades, only this mother and her child wild elephant remained.

The mother elephant looked very thin in recent appearances. Photo: TH

Because this herd has no male elephants, it has no potential to develop. Many years ago, the authorities considered merging them with other herds, but it was not feasible. Recently, the mother and her child wild elephants often return to residential areas to find food, but according to the locals, these two elephants are quite docile and have never shown any signs of attacking people. "Maybe the food in the forest is becoming increasingly scarce, so they are so hungry that they often return to the village. When they have eaten their fill, they return to the forest," said a resident living on the edge of the forest who often encounters the elephant herd.

The last time this herd of elephants appeared in the residential area was on the evening of December 10, 2022. At that time, the mother elephant was alone. According to local residents, this time the mother elephant looked very thin and slow. It leisurely rummaged through people's houses looking for food, despite hundreds of people trying to chase it away. Many people approached the elephant but it still showed signs of fear. After eating its fill, it slowly returned to the forest.