Bhapur: A tusker was found dead at a mango orchard of a resident in this district Sunday.
The matter came to fore after locals spotted the dead elephant lying in a mango orchard belonging to Aryendu Kumar Jena, a resident of Gobindaprasad village under Sadar forest range of Dhenkanal district.
Locals suspect that the tusker might have got electrocuted after coming in contact with the solar barbed fencing wires around the orchard. However, forest officials said it is highly unlikely for large animals like the elephant to get electrocuted by solar barbed wires. They said it must have come in contact with high voltage electric wires.
The incident was immediately reported to the Forest department and the Gobindaprasad police station. Locals said mango and cashew have grown abundantly in the locality this year attracting the pachyderms to the orchards.
The animals are damaging the crops but they are not being paid proper compensation, locals alleged. They demanded that forest officials must work to drive away the elephant herds which are frequently straying into the area
A team of forest officials seized the carcass from the spot and sent it for post-mortem. Action will be taken on the basis of post-mortem report, ACF Rashmiranjan Swain and Ranger Dharitri Murmu said.
PNN
