BERHAMPUR: An ailing elephant was found dead inside Ghuguda reserve forest under Tarsing range of North Ghumusar division in Ganjam district on Sunday.
Divisional forest officer (DFO) Himanshu Mahanty said the 12-year-old elephant is suspected to have died after falling into a stream located deep inside the reserve forest. The carcass was discovered after forest personnel received information from local sources and rushed to the spot for investigation.
Officials said the elephant had been under medical treatment for the past several days in Gumi section of Mahipur range under Nayagarh forest division. The pachyderm was reportedly suffering from abdominal complications and had been receiving treatment from a team comprising local veterinary doctors and wildlife specialists from Nandankanan Zoological Park.
Despite continuous medical care, the elephant’s condition failed to improve significantly. Sources said the elephant wandered away from Nayagarh forest area in recent days and entered Ghuguda under North Ghumusar division, where it continued moving in an ailing condition.
Forest officials suspect that while roaming through the forest, the elephant either slipped or accidentally fell into a natural stream, leading to its death.
On the day, a joint task force team from Bhubaneswar reached the site to assist in investigation and supervise the postmortem procedure. Local veterinary experts conducted the autopsy in the presence of forest officials as per wildlife protection protocols and the carcass was buried. The exact cause of death will be confirmed after a detailed postmortem examination, said officials.
