Criminal Eye on Chanchalkali’s Trunk, Police in search of cruel attackers

Kathmandu: A trunk is the beauty of an elephant. Tourists’ hearts pound with excitement when an elephant shows gratitude by lifting its trunk.

The trunk is also the main organ of the elephant to drink water. They even use trunks to store water. Elephants even use the trunk to carry heavy weights up to 270kgs.

Trunk helps them to produce sound (110-decibel) that can be heard for miles. Elephants even use trunks as a source of communication.

There is no comparison to the immense pleasure that one receives after getting sprouts of water from the elephant’s trunk during the river safari. Tourists are also fond of the elephant’s artistic demonstration using their trunk.

The tourism sector of Sauraha has been drawing the attention of tourists slowly after facing a long struggle due to COVID-19. 45 years old Chanchalkali is also one of the elephants to promote tourism in Sauraha. She has been attracting a huge mass of tourists with her beauty and innocence.

Apart from the daily routine of carrying tourists every day, Chanchalkali used to show a lot of skills. Tourists have been appreciating the work, innocence, beauty, excitement, energy, playfulness, and moderation of Chanchalkali.

The talented Chanchalkali had even won the ‘Miss Haati’ paegent last year held in Sauraha. The daily routine of Chanchalkali was to take tourists to the jungles of Sauraha. She had completely devoted herself to the happiness of tourists.

But no one was able to save Chanchalkali, from the evil eyes of enemies during the ongoing tourist season.

Turning point in the life of Chanchalkali

It was Tuesday night. Chanchalkali was resting after the completion of her daily routine just like every day. But the night started inviting chaos and pain.

A sudden rumbling and trumpeting cry of Chanchalkali covered the surrounding. When people came to check, they found Chanchalkali in immense pain. A monstrous group had chopped off the trunk of Chanchalkali.

Sauraha tourist businessman Dipendra Khatiwada said that about  6 inches of the topmost part of the trunk had been chopped off.

Dipendra said, ‘The trunk has been cut off using sharp objects. The separated part could not be joined. Chanchalkali has become sick. She was not willing to eat anything. But, forcefully, medicine was given.’ Later, Chachalkali was fed sugarcane and grass in her mouth.

This has created difficulty for Chanchalkali to drink the water due to a severe wound in the trunk. Analysts compare the situation of Chanchalkali with that of a man having no hands.

This has led Chanchalkali to get proper care, nutritious food, and enough rest. The upcoming summer season might delay the healing of the trunk of Chanchalkali.

The Animal technicians from National Nature Conservation Fund, Sauraha are doing the treatment of Chanchalkali. It is the first time that such a case has been reported in Sauraha. The researchers have also predicted the imbalance in her body as the trunk also acts as a muscular hydrostat organ.

Loss of flexible part of the trunk

According to a study conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology, the topmost part of the trunk’s skin is more flexible than the bottom part. The part is 15% more flexible than the wrinkled bottom side.

This part plays a vital role in stretching and grabbing the food. It is also one of the sensory parts of an elephant. The loss of Chanchalkali’s topmost the trunk will surely be a hurdle for her to smoothly run her life,

Gloomy Tourist and Tourism industry in Chitwan

The trunk of an elephant is similar to the hands of a person. Elephant uses the trunk to suck any food and to pick something.

Chanchalkali has been mourning the loss of her trunk. This has created a gloomy environment in Chitwan. The tourist and tourism sector has been dumbstruck.

Chanchalkali had been forgetting her tired experiences from the happiness of the tourists on her back and observing the happy wandering animals in the jungle.

The wound of Chanchalkali has drenched the tourists and tourists sector in the pain.

Search of the attacker

Chitwan Police has come up with an initial investment that the target of the attack was to kill the elephant. Police have increased the pace of the investigation. The head of Chitwan Police Rameshwor Karki said that the search for the attacker(s) is going at a rapid pace.

Karki had said to Nepalviews, ‘Elephant is an endangered species. This had made the case even more delicate. We started searching for the attacker just after getting the information about the incident.’

Police had suspected the seekers in search of magical mushrooms might have attacked Chanchalkali. Magical Mushrrom grows in the dung of an elephant.

The mushroom makes one aggressive and tranquilized. Drug addicts have been reported to search such mushrooms in Hattisar. But police said that it cannot draw to a conclusion as it was a first incident reported in Nepal.

Likewise, Nepali Army has been investigating the case. The culprit would be punished under Section 26(1) of the National Parks Wildlife Protection Act 2029.

Nepali version of the story was published on Wednesday 4th April, 2023