After treatment by vets, ailing tusker found dead in Masinakathi forest

BARIPADA: Within 24 hours of being treated by veterinarians, the ailing tusker was found dead in Masinakathi forest under Betnoti range within Baripada territorial division on Monday. The 35-year-old male elephant had suffered a deep wound on its left leg after being entangled in a plastic rope. The wound became severely infected as it remained untreated for long.

After spotting the injured tusker four days back, forest personnel closely monitored the pachyderm’s movement as it roamed in Dumapada, Khadisole, Kanchannagar, Masinakathi and Tungadhua reserved forests under Betnoti range.

On Sunday, a veterinary team from Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) along with experts from Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar started treating the elephant’s infected wound. Divisional forest officer (DFO) Santosh Joshi said the veterinary team led by Dr Indramani Nath of OUAT performed surgery on the tusker’s wounded leg after tranquilising it inside Masinakathi reserve forest. However, the elephant died early on Monday.

Another veterinary team from Betnoti and STR conducted autopsy on the carcass in presence of forest officials. Besides, samples were collected and will be sent for testing. “We believe the tusker died due to severe infection of its wound. However, the postmortem report will confirm the exact cause of death,” Joshi said.

The DFO further said it is being suspected that while roaming in Rasgobindpur and Betnoti ranges two months back, the tusker might have got entangled in the plastic rope used by locals to tie cattle to trees. 
In the last couple of months, two elephant calves and a wild tusker have died in Baripada territorial forest division.