A female elephant was found dead in the septic tank of a building of the Batabaran Buffer Zone Community Forest in the Shuklaphanta National Park on Thursday morning.

According to Manoj Air, the national park’s assistant conservation officer, the female elephant was around 25-30 years old.

The elephant fell into the tank on Wednesday night while attempting to graze on the bamboo near the tank. The elephant was pulled out of the tank and buried, said Air.