Deogarh: Forest officials recovered a decapitated and decomposed carcass of a tusker from Prabhasuni reserve forest in this district Thursday.
Preliminary inquiries suggested that poachers might have killed the tusker by chopping off its trunk to take the tusks. The tusker was in its twenties and might have been killed three days back.
A veterinarian Satyabrata Mishra, who conducted the post-mortem of the carcass, claimed that the pachyderm died due to excessive bleeding.
However, the actual reason behind the death will come out after completion of the probe, divisional forest officer (DFO) Kartik Chandra Samanataray said.
According to reports, some locals spotted the pachyderm’s carcass Thursday morning and informed the forest officials.
A team of forest officials led by ranger Kusha Chandra Singh and forester Kulamani Puhan reached the spot and started an investigation. The carcass was buried in the forest after post-mortem.
“The tusker was killed two-three days ago. The stolen tusks would be around 1-ft long,” said a forest official.
Seven elephants have died during the last two years in this district due to the lack of patrolling by the forest officials and awareness among the people. According to sources, a racket comprising some locals and outsiders involved in poaching of elephants for ivories is active in the district.
Forester Puhan and forest guard Purnachandra Dhala were placed under suspension by the DFO for dereliction of duty.
Despite a ban on the internatinal trade in ivory, elephants are still being poached in large numbers. The ivory is often carved into ornaments and jewellery. China is the biggest consumer market for such products.
PNN
