DHENKANAL: Around five days after the carcass of an adult elephant was recovered from Hindol range, another tusker, aged around 12 years, was found dead in the Kapilash forest on Saturday. Forest department has ruled out poaching in both cases.
According to reports, staff of the Kapilash range spotted the carcass of the tusker lying inside the forest and immediately informed senior officials. Regional chief conservator of forests of Angul circle Sanjay Kumar Swain, divisional forest officer of Dhenkanal Lalit Kumar Patra, and officials of the Special Task Force rushed to the spot. The carcass was buried as per the prescribed protocol after a postmortem conducted by a team of four veterinary doctors. RCCF Swain said preliminary probe indicate that the elephant died during an infighting incident. “There was a pool of blood and other evidence at the spot suggesting that the tusker was involved in a fight with another elephant. At present, there is no indication of poaching,” he said.
He said the postmortem report would provide clarity on the exact cause of death. Since the carcass was fresh, officials believe the fight took place on Friday night. Samples have also been sent to Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology for further examination.