BHUBANESWAR: Ramu, the famous elephant of Chandaka-Dampara wildlife sanctuary, which died due to suspected electrocution last year, will be resurrected and preserved as an exhibit at Godibari in Chandaka wildlife division.
The skeletal remains of the tusker buried in Bharatpur forest was excavated on Saturday. “We are hopeful of completing the process of skeleton preservation and fixation within next two months after which steps will be initiated for its display at Godibari,” Chandaka DFO Binod Acharya said.
A group of forest staff and experts led by zoology professor from Centurion University Prof Siba Prasad Parida, professor of forensic medicine and toxicology at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar Dr Sudipta Ranjan Singh and Snake Helpline general secretary Subhendu Mallik carried out the excavation and recovered all the bones including two tusks weighing about 6 kg.
“The AIIMS-Bhubaneswar team led by Dr Singh helped us in digging out the skeletal remains safely. The bones will be now cleaned and checked for any damage after which the preservation process will start,” Prof Parida said.
Mallik, the former honorary wildlife warden of Khurda, who had proposed preservation of the skeleton of the famous elephant, said the initiative apart from supporting educational and research purposes will help forest authorities in highlighting conservation challenges and give strength to wildlife protection efforts.
The 41-year-old elephant from Bharatpur reserve forest often used to roam in the forests of Chandaka and Khurda and was quite familiar in the locality as it was the first tusker the Forest department had attempted to radio-collar in 2021. However, the tusker was found dead near the boundary wall of the Bharatpur reserve with a cut mark on its trunk in August last year, indicating electrocution.