Berhampur: The carcass of a four-year-old elephant was found in Ganjam district Wednesday, a forest officer said.
Forest personnel spotted the carcass during patrolling in the paddy fields near Panada in Digapahandi forest range in the morning.
Forest officers suspect that the pachyderm might have died due to the infighting in the herd. They earlier thought that the elephant might have died due to electrocution.
The exact cause will be known only after forensic analysis, Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer Amlan Nayak said.
A few days ago, a herd of 13 elephants had migrated to Dhanarasia jungle on Panada-Arendra Road from Bargarh in search of food.
Local people have demanded that the herd be pushed back into the jungle as the elephants destroyed several standing crops in the area.
“We are closely monitoring the movements of the herd,” Nayak said.
PTI
