BERHAMPUR: The carcass of a tusker was recovered from a paddy field near Panada village under Digapahandi forest range in Ganjam district on Wednesday morning, November 17, 2021. The cause of the elephant’s death still remains a mystery as there were no injury marks on the carcass. Besides, there were no electricity poles in a radius of 2 km from the place where the carcass was found.
Sources said a group of villagers who ventured into the fields in the morning, spotted the carcass around 2 km away from Panada and informed forest officials. Assistant conservator of forest (ACF) A Behera said a team of forest personnel reached the spot and started investigation. The dead elephant is believed to be around five years old and has tusks measuring nearly three inch. Veterinary surgeons performed postmortem of the carcass to ascertain the reason of the tusker’s death.
Behera further informed that a herd of 13 elephants are moving in the area since the last one week and its movement is being constantly monitored by forest personnel. Villagers claimed that the elephant herd fought among themselves and the tusker might have died in the infighting.
On the other hand, the jumbo herd has reportedly damaged paddy crops over two acre of land near Panada village. The ACF said, “A team of forest personnel is following the herd and have traced it near Radhamohanpur. We have reports of the elephants damaging standing crops. The affected farmers will be compensated as per the existing norms.” In 2019, a tusker was killed near Nimakhandipentha under the same forest range due to electrocution.
Tusk seized, one arrested
Balangir: The Special Task Force (STF) arrested a person and seized a tusk weighing over 3 kg from his possession. The accused was identified as Ramesh Pradhan of Chuarbandh village within Larambha police limits. Pradhan was nabbed when he was trying to sell the tusk at Kendubhata Chowk in Padampur. In January last, forest officials had found the carcass of an elephant with its tusk missing in Cheliapata forest.