GUWAHATI: Durga, a wild Asian elephant in Assam’s Golaghat district who had been struggling with a heavy, non-functional radio collar around her neck for several months, died on Monday afternoon.
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Her body was found at Doigrung Tea Estate under the Khumtai constituency.
According to Elephant Monitors Assam, an alliance of elephant rescuers and conservationists, Durga had been seriously ill in recent days. The group had approached relevant authorities, urging immediate intervention to save the elephant, who was reportedly suffering from multiple health problems that were further aggravated by the malfunctioning radio collar.
“Unfortunately and tragically, there was no response till now from the authorities,” Elephant Monitors Assam said in a post on X announcing Durga’s death.
The elephant was named Durga by local residents.
Reports said an NGO had fitted the radio collar on Durga in 2023. The collar reportedly weighed around 19 to 20 kilograms and had remained non-operational for an extended period.
Following her death, Elephant Monitors Assam called for strict protocols from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) regarding the installation and monitoring of radio collars on wild Asian elephants.
The conservation group also called for accountability from officials involved in the process, saying authorities should investigate the circumstances surrounding Durga’s death and determine whether negligence contributed to her prolonged suffering.
The group said it hoped action would be taken against those responsible for allowing Durga to suffer for an extended period.