Wild elephant killed by poisoned arrow

Police have launched manhunt operations against poachers who killed one wild elephant in Par Paw village in Singu township in Mandalay Region.

The elephant, estimated to be 40years old, was killed on Saturday according to villagers, U Tint Swe, director of the Mandalay Region Department of Forestry told The Myanmar Times on Monday.

“The elephant was killed by a poisoned arrow fired from a percussion rifle. As the site is near a residential area, tusk and skin were not removed and taken from the dead elephant. We are investigating the incident in cooperation with the police,” U Tint Swe said.

‘The elephant was killed by a poisoned arrow fired from a percussion rifle.’ - U Tint Swe, director, Mandalay Forestry Department

“In March, one wild elephant was also killed in nearby Thabeikkyin township. Elephant killings are quite frequent in our areas. There are some preventive measures that have been initiated but killings,” an official of Singu township Department of Forestry, who requested anonymity, said.

Combined teams of police and Department of Forestry officials have been dispatched to hunt down the suspects and a case was opened under section 41 (a) of the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Law at Letpanhla police station by the forest department.

“As the areas in Thabeikkyin and Singu are surrounded by forests, many wild elephants dwell there. So there are also many poachers. With the help of the police, these poachers could be arrested if they can be pursued deep into the jungle,” a resident from Letpanhla village U Thaung Tun said.

The Department of Forestry said seven wild elephants have been killed in Mandalay Region over the last two years.

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
https://www.mmtimes.com/news/wild-elephant-killed-poisoned-arrow.html