Nilagiri: There is no letup in elephant deaths in Kuldiha wildlife sanctuary as a jumbo calf was found dead inside the sanctuary under this sub-division in Balasore district, Wednesday. The matter came to the fore when some forest officials were moving around at Chemchata jungle near Chemchata beat house inside the sanctuary. They noticed a three-year-old calf lying dead before informing the Kuldiha forest ranger. Kuldiha forest ranger Anant Kumar Jena in turn informed Balasore DFO Ayush Jain. The DFO, forest ranger, forest officials and veterinarians rushed to the spot and conducted a preliminary inquiry into the death of the animal.
Later, the carcass was buried at the spot after veterinarians conducted a post-mortem. Preliminary inquiries indicated that the death of the calf might have taken place four to five days ago following an attack by a tusker. However, the actual reason could be ascertained only after the availability of the postmortem report, the DFO said.
With this, at least four elephants have died during the last seven months. It is apprehended that the recurring jumbo deaths might soon lead to extinction of the huge mammal from Kuldiha wildlife sanctuary – a famous elephant reserve. A large number of animal lovers visit the sanctuary to have a look from a watch tower at the elephants bathing and/or drinking water from a small stream that runs right through the reserve.
Notably, a tusker’s carcass was recovered from Baragadia village, July 18. The calf died hardly 10 days after the death of the tusker. The frequent death of elephants at the sanctuary this year has shocked the residents. They alleged that the pachyderms are dying one after another due to the inefficiency of the Forest department. The death of the calf has left the forest officials worried as they ponder over means to contain the rising jumbo deaths.
