ROURKELA: The carcass of a male elephant calf, aged below one year, was found floating in a pond on the outskirts of Julumbahal village under Baghora secton of Hemgir forest range on Friday morning.
Regional Chief Conservator of Forest BK Swain said prima facie, it appears to be accidental drowning as pug marks of adult elephants were found at the spot.
While the adult elephants came out of the pond, the calf got stuck in the mud and eventually died. Hemgir range officer Baljit Dungdung said the incident occurred in the wee hours of Friday and the carcass was buried after autopsy. The calf was part of a herd of eight elephants.