Injured K'jhar tusker under treatment dies

After fighting to survive for more than 20 days, a tusker of about 15 years succumbed to its hind bone injury on Tuesday at Girlibadi forest under the Champua Forest Range.

Villagers had noticed that the elephant was straying alone near Daduan village by the side of the Baitarani river after having diverted from a herd of 25 elephants.

However, when the villagers observed that the elephant was dipping in the river water and washing its right leg which got septic, they had immediately informed to the Forest Department. The Forest Department spotted the elephant in Chamakpur forest on Saturday last after a hectic search.

Though, immediately, antibiotics and vitamins had been administered after tranquilising the elephant, but its conditions was getting deteriorated slowly. Sources close to Dr Khannen Chavinyan, who was treating the elephant, revealed that the hind bone of the right side hip of the elephant had been dislocated which might have been due to infighting between male elephants of a group.

For the last 17 days, the condition of the elephant had been weak for want of food which could not be arranged by the elephant due to the fractured bone. Dr Madhab Chowdhury performed the postmortem and the carcass was buried in the presence of ACF Ghanashyam Barik.