Forest department: Tusker's injury not caused by bullet in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Wildlife enthusiasts on Friday expressed disappointment over the forest department's hastiness in ruling out bullet wound in the case of an injured tusker roaming around Narasinghpur in Athgarh forest division.
After the elephant was tranquillised and treated, officials of the wildlife wing of the forest department examined the wound using metal detector only to claim it was the result of infighting and not a gunshot injury. The metal detector found no bullet inside the body. "The wound indicated infighting as one of the tusks of the elephant was broken," said regional chief conservator of forests (Angul), M Yogajayanand.
In the past two months, three elephants have been killed by suspected poachers with the help of country-made guns. Wildlife campaigner Biswajit Mohanty said the metal detector used by the forest department can detect a bullet if it is two-three inches into the body. "If the bullet gets embedded deep into the muscle, arteries or any organ, a metal detector won't be able to detect it. In case of the Sambalpur elephant's death too the metal detector had failed to find the bullet, but autopsy confirmed gunshot wound. The department should use a metal detector that is used by the army or paramilitary forces," Mohanty observed.