Nilagiri: At a time when a series of elephant deaths have raised concern in Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, another pachyderm estimated to be over 20 years old was found dead in a nearby pond Friday night. The cause of death is yet to be determined.
The carcass was discovered in a pond near Ambajhar village in the Panchalingeshwar forest range under Kuldiha sub-division. About 85 elephants reside in and around the sanctuary.
Forest staff first noticed the dead elephant and informed higher officials. Balasore forest division officials, including Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Prafulla Kumar Mallik, ACF Tatini Sethi, Kuldiha Range Officer Subrata Kumar Behera, Panchalingeshwar Forest Officer Hrushikesh Pradhan, and a veterinary doctor, visited the site to conduct a preliminary investigation Saturday morning.
Later, a high-level committee from the Forest Department arrived to ascertain the cause of death, and an autopsy was carried out on the carcass. Forest officials said the final post-mortem report will reveal the cause of death.
“Once the report is received, we will be able to confirm the exact cause,” the DFO said
PNN
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