GUWAHATI: Ostensibly stung by the deaths of at least two elephants of septicemia, the Army has begun removing sharp and upright iron spikes from outside its Narengi Cantonment supply depot in Guwahati.
Beds of the spikes were cemented on the ground to prevent the jumbos from venturing into the cantonment. The elephants, herds of which would often come out of nearby Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary in search of food, were a threat to the lives of the personnel.
According to a defence source, the army will soon start removing the dangerous spikes. Earlier, the force allegedly ignored requests from the state’s forest department to remove the spikes.
Pradipta Baruah, who is the Divisional Forest Officer of Guwahati Wildlife Division, said the nature of injuries, sustained by some elephants, pointed to the fact they had stepped on the spikes.
“Since December last year, at least two elephants of the sanctuary have died due to septicemia. A few others were injured. This is a very cruel way to keep off the animal,” he said.
The first death had occurred on December 25 which made Baruah to write a letter to a colonel of the cantonment seeking the removal of the spikes. The second elephant had died in February.