Assam Elephant Dies in Mizoram, Locals Feast on its Meat

Aizawl, July 16, 2019:

A 47-year-old elephant from Assam, Laxmi, which was taken on lease from Assam in 2009, died in Mizoram of a heart-attack a few days ago and villagers nearby cut the jumbo's carcass up and feasted on its meat.

The elephant's meat was distributed among the villagers and feasted on the carcass of the dead animal.

As per media reports, the office of the conservator of forests in southern Assam’s Silchar had issued the certificate for leasing the 47-year-old female elephant to one Khualhina of Mizoram from her owner in Cachar district’s Sonai, a certain Md Mastufa Ahmed Laskar.

Although the validity of the ownership certificate had expired in 2014, but the elephant continued to work in the Kanhmun Forest Range. The locals said the Mizoram Forest Department officials were not present when the elephant died and its meat was consumed.

It may be mentioned that four elephants from Assam were set to start a perilous journey to Ahmedabad to add to the grandeur of the famous Jagannath Temple, but the Assam Government halted their transportation after activists raised a hue-and-cry about the situation and decried the "animal cruelty" that the transportation of these jumbos would entail.

Inside Northeast’s Campaign #LetsSaveDeeporBeel is now supported by Oil India Limited (OIL). Join us as we continue the awareness campaign to preserve the only Ramsar site in Assam which is facing immense threats (A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention). We need your help to preserve this site of great ecological importance. Join the #LetsSaveDeeporBeel campaign and tweet about it, and do tag us on Twitter. Let’s make some noise!