Berhampur: Odisha’s forest department officials Saturday recovered the carcass of a 13-year-old female elephant from a forest in Ganjam district, officials said.
The animal might have died in Khandisara forest under Jagannath Prasad range in Ghumusar North division three to four days ago.
The carcass was buried after conducting a post-mortem examination, said Himansu Sekhar Mohanty, divisional forest officer (DFO), Ghumusar North division.
It is suspected that the jumbo fell into a pit located in the border area of Ganjam and Nayagarh districts, leading to its death.
The exact cause of the elephant’s death would be ascertained only after getting the autopsy report, Mohanty said.
The forest department has collected several samples from the carcass, which would be tested in the Laboratory at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology in Bhubaneswar, he said
Forest officials suspected the female elephant might have migrated from Nayagarh area, as they did not notice the movement of elephants in the area earlier.
It was the third death of elephants in the district in about a month and the second in a week.
Earlier, a female elephant died in Sadangipalli in Digapahandi forest range on January 30, another jumbo died on January 2 due to electrocution in the same area under Berhampur forest division, sources said.
PTI