Keonjhar: Forest officials Friday discovered the carcass of a female elephant, estimated to be 8-10 years old, near Kasada village under the Suakati section of the Bhuyan Juanga Pirha range in the Keonjhar forest division.
Although the exact cause of death has not yet been confirmed, preliminary observations by the Forest department noted that the elephant’s mouth and tongue had turned dark blue.
Officials also reported signs of involuntary urination and dung near the spot, indicating the animal may have collapsed suddenly.
Initial suspicion pointed to possible electrocution; however, forest officers said no evidence of electrocution was found within a radius of 1.5 km. “The elephant is believed to have died early this morning.
There were no signs of significant struggle, though it appears the animal lay down at a couple of places before dying.
Rigor mortis is still present,” said Dhanraj HD, Divisional Forest Officer, Keonjhar.
A post-mortem examination will be conducted Thursday morning by a team of veterinarians as per protocol.
The cause of death will be determined after the post-mortem and analysis of samples at the Centre for Wildlife Health in Bhubaneswar, the DFO added.