Another elephant carcass found in Ganjam forest

BERHAMPUR: Three days after the death of a tusker, forest officials on Monday found the carcass of another elephant in Ganjam district on Wednesday. The female elephant, aged around 30 years, was found dead in Tiliki dense forest on Ganjam-Kandhamal district border in Muzagarh forest range, Ghumusar north division.
The cause of its death can only be ascertained after postmortem, said divisional forest officer (DFO), Ghumusar North division, Sudarshan Behera.
The autopsy of the animal would be conducted in the presence of members of the special task force of the crime branch, sources said. Locals informed forest personnel about the carcass. They also said to have sighted a 18-member herd in the area on Tuesday. On Monday, forest personnel found the carcass of a 30-year-old tusker near Gambhari Gochha village in Muzagarh forest range.
Though autopsy of the animal was conducted by local veterinary surgeons the same day, the cause of its death is yet to be ascertained. A senior veterinary official said the visceral samples of the elephant would be sent for analysis.
With this, eight elephants have died in the district in the last eight months. Seven of these in Ghumusar North division and one in Ghumusar South division due to the different reasons, including hunting by the poachers for ivory. On July 5, 2022, the poachers shot dead a tusker and made off with its tusks in Muzagarh forest range.