Dhaka, April 27 -- The legs and trunk of a male long-ailing elephant that died in Rangamati's Langadu Upazila have been cut off, an official says, fearing poachers did so to collect its "meat".

Chittagong Hill Tracts Divisional (north) Forest Officer Md Rafiquzzaman Shah confirmed the matter on Monday, after videos and photos of the severed carcass went viral on social media, triggering angry reactions.

He suspects the incident took place after Sunday evening, saying: "It rained at night. After the female elephant that was with the carcass moved away, unidentified poachers cut off the flesh of the legs and took away the trunk.

"We sent a team to the scene this [Monday] morning. They will bury the elephant after the autopsy," he said, a...