ANGUL/BARGARH: Two adult elephants were found dead in Satkosia and Hirakud Wildlife Divisions on Sunday. The carcass of a 50-year-old female elephant was recovered from Hatibari forest under Tikarpara range in Satkosia Wildlife Division. While the exact cause of the elephant’s death is yet to be ascertained, forest officials suspect the pachyderm might have died due to internal bleeding.
Sources said the elephant died on Friday night but its carcass could not be recovered due to the presence of a jumbo herd near it. Several attempts were made by forest personnel to retrieve the carcass on Saturday but to no avail.
Divisional forest officer (DFO) of Satkosia Saroj Kumar Panda said after the herd comprising around 35 elephants went away, forest staff along with the veterinary team reached the spot and conducted postmortem on the carcass.
Ruling out electrocution or poaching behind the death, the DFO said veterinary doctors believe the elephant might have died due to internal bleeding.
Similarly, an adult female elephant was found dead in farmland at Alekhpur in Bargarh’s Ambabhona block on the outskirts of Debrigarh sanctuary under Hirakud Wildlife Division. It is suspected that the elephant died due to electrocution.
Forest officials said a herd of elephants had come out of Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary in search of food. In the morning, villagers spotted the carcass of an elephant in farmland and informed the Forest department.
Hirakud DFO Anshu Pragyan Das said the elephant’s carcass was buried after postmortem. The pachyderm’s age and actual cause of death can be ascertained after the autopsy report is received.
Since the elephant herd has been spotted near the village, forest officials have asked people of nearby villages to stay alert. A team is also tracking the movement of the elephants inside the forest.