Shocking snaps show elephants eating massive piles of fly-tipped rubbish including plastic bags and sanitary towels in rural India

HEARTBREAKING photos show an Indian elephant grazing on piles of rubbish including plastic bags, toxic waste and use sanitary towels.

The gentle giant can be seen picking through mounds of waste and gorging on them – despite being surrounded by lush green grass.

The tragic sight, representing a disturbing conflict between man and nature, was witnessed by photographer Somnath Das just outside Bamonpokhari forest, West Bengal, India.

Somnath, 29, says he hopes that the pictures will open people's eyes into the wider effects of littering and its serious impact on nature.

Somnath, from Siliguri, India, said: "We were on our way to the forest to take pictures of the elephants, but before we reached the spot my friend told me he thought he'd seen one in an open field just outside it.

"We headed back there and with some excitement we approached the elephant, keeping a safe distance.

"But I shocked when I saw it was at the dumping zone of that area.

"The elephant was searching for foods from a heap of plastic bags and was eating the unhygienic foods, and also the residential wastes, including some bio-hazards."

He added: "There were mostly polythene bags, which have been banned here, and various types of plastic packets of dry foods.

"There were also sanitary towels among what the elephant was eating.

"The elephant was not alone there was also a huge tusker there too which was a little angry and irritated.

Somnath says he watched the upsetting sight of the awesome animal feeding on the rubbish for two hours on 28 August.

And he claims the incident demonstrates the devastating impact human development is having on nature's wild creatures.

Somnath, who says elephants are his favourite animal, said: "Humans keep their places clean by throwing waste away, which is fine, but it doesn't mean you can dump waste in another creature's living space.

"I just saw this happen on that day, so I'm not sure if it happens regularly but the poor elephants are eating the waste food along with the plastics, which is changing their tastes.

"They don't know it may harm them.

"This change in food tastes also attracts the elephants to enter into areas where humans live, which causes conflict.

"In the name of development and improvement of lifestyle, people are always creating problems for the environment, as well as for wild animals all over the world."

And Somnath hopes that people who see his photographs heed their warning.

Somnath, who has been photographing wildlife for four years, said: "These pictures make me worried and sad.

'The elephants do not know what plastic is. They can smell the food inside.

"I would hope that if people see these pictures they will see the mistakes they make by throwing away plastics and refuse incorrectly.

"Here they can see its effects. I think people will be shocked to see this."

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