Boinda: The carcass of a male elephant was recovered Wednesday from Kadalimunda Khesada forest under the Bamur forest range in Kishorenagar block of Angul district, forest officials said.
Preliminary inquiry indicated that the elephant, estimated to be about 15 years old, had died nearly four days earlier.
The exact cause of death, however, is yet to be ascertained. According to officials, a forest patrol team spotted the carcass while monitoring the area inside the forest.
Following the discovery, Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF) Sanjay Kumar Sai, Athamallik Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Santosh Kumar Kapula, and Bamur forest ranger Swadhin Samal reached the spot and launched an inquiry.
A post-mortem was conducted by veterinary surgeon Pradipta Kumar Singh of the Angul district Animal Husbandry department.
After the examination, the carcass was buried at the site in accordance with standard procedures. Forest officials said further investigation is underway to determine the actual reason behind the animal’s death.