DHENKANAL: A 25-year-old tusker was found dead near Bompa village under Hindol forest range on Saturday night. Forest officials suspect that the male elephant died after being struck by lightning.
Divisional forest officer (DFO) Lalita Patra said the tusker was roaming in Bompa for the past 15 days after being separated from its herd. On Saturday night, there was heavy rain and lighting in the area. On Sunday morning, villagers of Bompa spotted the dead tusker at Andhari Pitha.
On being informed by villagers, Angul RCCF Sanjay Swain, DFO Patra and electricity officials reached the spot along with veterinary doctors. The DFO said the elephant’s two tusks were intact. “Circumstantial evidence suggest that the tusker might have died due to lightning. However, the exact cause of death will be ascertained after the autopsy report arrives. The postmortem was conducted and the carcass buried on the spot as per the protocol.