The stray wild elephant, swept away with floodwater into Bangladesh from India about one and a half months ago, is now tied in ropes with trees after its rescue following tranquilisation from a local pond at Kayra village in Sharishabari upazila. Witnesses said Sayed Hossain, a veterinary surgeon at Banghabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Safari Park, injected the elephant with tranquiliser by using a special gun around 2pm. In reaction, the elephant jumped into pond of the village and started losing consciousness. After an hour of frantic efforts, locals pulled the tranquilised elephant off of the water and tied it in ropes with several trees around 3pm. Syed AZ Murshed Ali, upazila nirhabi officer of Sarishabari upazila, said the legs of the elephant have been tied up with ropes. Communication to the area is not smooth and the rescue team needs a truck and a crane to remove the elephant from the area, he said. The divisional forest officer along with other officials of the administration and the Safari Park are there near the spot and will jointly take the decision regarding the rescue, the UNO added. Earlier on August 3, a three-member Indian team came to Bangladesh to give support to a 17-member Bangladeshi team for the rescue of the elephant. On June 28, the elephant was swept away with the floodwater of the trans-boundary Brahmaputra River from Assam of India into in Kurigram district at Roumari border. It wondered across Bogra, Sirajganj, finally into Dewanganj of Jamalpur district along the Brahmaputra and the Jamuna rivers for about one and half months, looking for shelter and food while struggling against the floodwater. Finally, the elephant took shelter at Koyra village from where it has been put under human control. — Jamalpur, Aug 11 (UNB)
