A large male wild elephant was found dead on Sunday, October 4, 2026, in a bitter gourd farm near Bramhasthan Community Forest in Jirayat Tole, Bagmati Municipality-4, Sarlahi district, Madhesh Province, prompting an investigation into its cause.
Krishna Lama, acting mayor of Bagmati Municipality, confirmed the discovery of the deceased elephant. He noted that injuries were visible on the elephant’s trunk and other parts of its body. Locals reported seeing an elephant near the settlement around 8 PM on Saturday, and the same elephant was found dead the following morning.
A joint team from the Division Forest Office Sarlahi, a government body in Sarlahi district, and Parsa National Park, a wildlife conservation area spanning Provinces 2 and 3 of Nepal, has been deployed to the site. Binod Singh, chief of the Division Forest Office Sarlahi, stated that the team is conducting a thorough study of the site, the elephant’s body, and the surrounding environment to determine the exact cause of death. Wildlife experts and a technical team will ascertain if the death was due to natural causes, human activities, poisoning, electrocution, disease, or other factors. The elephant’s age and physical condition will also be determined after the investigation.
The incident highlights the escalating human-wildlife conflict in Sarlahi, one of the eight districts in Madhesh Province. Wild elephants have increasingly frequented forest areas around Sarlahi in recent years, leading to incidents where they enter settlements and damage crops, directly affecting farmers. On October 2, 2026, a Madhesh Province MP called on the government to provide immediate relief to farmers affected by elephant terror. The damage to crops by elephants exacerbates existing issues like the lack of agricultural modernization and irrigation problems in Madhesh Province.
Past years have seen reports of human fatalities due to wild elephant attacks in Terai districts, including Sarlahi, Bara, Rautahat, and Jhapa. The Ministry of Forest and Environment has sought public input on human-wildlife conflict management. In April 2024, the Supreme Court ordered the registration and record-keeping of elephants. Parsa National Park has also published a management plan for 2023/24-2028/29, likely including strategies for wildlife management.
The precise cause of the elephant’s death, including the origin of the injuries on its body, remains unclear. Its age and full physical condition will only be known after the ongoing investigation by wildlife experts and the technical team.
