Deogarh: A 12-year-old tusker died after reportedly coming in contact with live wires laid by poachers in Gariapali forest under Kundheigola forest section and Riamal forest range of Deogarh district, late Monday night.
The matter came to the fore when villagers spotted the carcass and alerted forest personnel Tuesday morning. Deogarh forest ranger Niranjan Dharua and forester Tapan Nayak, along with a team, reached the spot and started an investigation. They recovered the carcass from the electric wires.
Initial findings, however, revealed injuries beneath the elephant’s mouth, raising suspicion of either an infection or poisoning through explosive-laced bait. Later, Rourkela RCCF P Ramaswami, Bhubaneswar JTF members, Deogarh DFO Magar Dhanaji Raosi, ACFs Swadhinata Sahani, Arun Kumar Behera, Riamal ranger Niranjan Dharua also reached the spot and took stock of the situation.
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The carcass was buried at the spot after veterinarians conducted a post-mortem. Conservationists have called for a thorough probe by the divisional forest officer (DFO) to bring the truth to light.
PNN
