BARIPADA: A female elephant which suffered injuries after reportedly consuming explosives-laced food has succumbed during treatment, said forest officials of Baripada division on Tuesday.
Divisional forest officer (DFO) of Baripada Gobind Chandra Biswal said, “The eight-year-old elephant was shifted to Betnoti in a critical condition as she was unable to eat due to severe oral injuries. The veterinary team tried their best, but unfortunately, the elephant succumbed to the injuries on Saturday.”
Postmortem examination of the carcass has been conducted on Sunday. The exact cause of death will be confirmed after the report arrives, the DFO added. The elephant was rescued on December 12 from Chuapada forest under Betnoti range.
She had sustained severe injuries to her mouth, with officials suspecting that she had consumed explosive-laced food. The explosion reportedly caused serious infection and sliced her tongue, leaving her unable to consume food naturally.
Following the rescue, the critically injured elephant was shifted to a safer location at Talbandh in Bangiriposi forest range, where a three-member veterinary team from Similipal Tiger Reserve was engaged to provide emergency treatment. Despite sustained efforts by the veterinarians, the elephant’s condition remained critical, and she eventually died during treatment.