Keonjhar: Forest officials Saturday recovered the carcass of a makhna (male Asian elephant without tusks) from a farmland near Kantalai village under Telkoi forest range in Keonjhar Forest Division.
A team of veterinarians conducted a post-mortem of the carcass and Forest officials launched an investigation into the jumbo death.
Circumstantial evidence and injuries found on the carcass indicated that the elephant aged around 10 might have died during infighting, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Dhanraj HD said.
Sources said two herds of around 54 elephants were roaming in the area for long. The herds had a fight near Kantalai village Friday night and the villagers spotted the carcass lying on a paddy field Saturday morning.
Also Read: Five former sarpanches among 14 persons convicted
Forest officials rushed to the spot and seized the carcass. The actual reason behind the jumbo death can be ascertained only after the post-mortem report is available, the DFO added.
Notably, three elephants have died during the last few months in Telkoi forest range area.
PNN
