ROURKELA: An adult tusker was allegedly killed by villagers in Banki range under Rourkela Forest Division on Friday night. Sources said the elephant was killed by some locals after it damaged their standing crops. The tusker’s carcass, found along a nullah near Tungri forest bore deep injury marks on the upper thigh.
Reliable sources said as per preliminary investigation, the pachyderm seemed to have been attacked on a farm where blood stains were visible. The elephant dragged itself around one km from the spot and breathed its last. Forest officials are baffled over how the elephant died so soon after getting injured on the thigh.
Rourkela DFO Yeswant Sethi said the incident came to light on Saturday morning. After an autopsy, the carcass was buried on the spot. The help of a forensic team was taken to ascertain the exact cause of the elephant’s death.
It appears that the elephant was attacked with a sharp weapon and its right leg bore a 30 cm deep injury which resulted in heavy bleeding, the DFO said. “It is not clear if the tusker died of profuse bleeding or any other reason like poisoning. An investigation is underway and perpetrators of the crime would be arrested soon,” he informed.
Elephants have become the biggest casualty of man-animal conflict in Sundargarh district. In November 2018 a group of villagers were arrested after they electrocuted an adult female to death, cut the carcass to pieces and buried them near Dubkupada of Rajgangpur range. The incident came to light after the villagers fearing action, dug out pieces of the carcass and set them on fire.
But, they ran out of luck and were caught while trying to erase evidence. Similarly, a sub-adult female elephant was killed for allegedly damaging crops near Chhidakudar village under Banki range some time back.