Two elephants die after eating pesticide-contaminated grass

JORHAT: Two pregnant female elephants of Kaziranga National Park died after they consumed grass sprinkled with pesticides in an adjacent tea garden in upper Assam's Golaghat district, park authorities said.

One of the elephants died at Panbari, the elephant corridor across NH-37, and the other died 13 km away at Lengerapahar, under Dolamari range of the Park, yesterday, they said.

The two elephants had ventured out of the park, 75 per cent to 80 per cent of which is still under water, in search of food in the highlands of neighbouring Karbi Anglong hills, the officials said.

They had entered Dipholu tea garden where the grass was sprayed with pesticides to kill red ants, sources said.

The bodies of the two elephants were taken away by the forest department, park sources said, adding, investigations into their death were going on.

In a similar incident nine months ago, three leopards and some tortoises died after they consumed pesticide-contaminated food outside the same National Park.