Dhenkanal: Even as animal lovers are yet to come to term with the death of seven tuskers due to electrocution in Dhenkanal, an eight-month-old jumbo calf has been lying unwell and battling for life inside Hitinda forest under Hindol forest area in this district.
Locals spotted the pachyderm Saturday morning and alerted the forest officials. After getting information, forest officials reached the forest and began the treatment of the pachyderm. All necessary steps are being taken to revive the unwell jumbo, the officials said.
First the forest officials rescued the jumbo and took it to the local veterinary hospital. After preliminary treatment, the forest officials then transported it to a veterinary hospital in Bhubaneswar for further treatment.
Among the officials were forest official Sudarshan Patra, Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) Jitendra Nath Das, Ranger Madhusdan Patra, and Forester Bikram Sethi.
The rising deaths of jumbos in the state have now become a matter of concern. A day back, an elephant calf was spotted dead inside Satkosia forest. The report comes days after the death of Royal Bengal Tiger ‘Mahavir’ in Satkosia.
Similarly, a pachyderm was knocked down to death by a speeding train in Keonjhar. Moreover, three more tuskers were electrocuted to death in Keonjhar and Angul district a few days back. This apart, the death of seven elephants in Dhenkanal due to electrocution is yet to erase from the mind of animal lovers.
Locals expressed resentment over the rise in the number of jumbo deaths and demanded immediate steps in this regard.
PNN