Hatadihi: Mystery shrouds the death of a female elephant whose carcass was recovered near Pitanau inside Hadagarh elephant sanctuary under this block in Keonjhar district, Forest officials said Thursday. After reports surfaced, Forest officials recovered the carcass and launched an investigation into its death. The matter came to the fore after Forest officials noticed the carcass lying near Pitanau inside the elephant sanctuary, Wednesday. However, they failed to ascertain the actual reason behind its death. They suspect that the animal aged about 50-60 might have died due to old-age-related ailments while locals claim it might have died from poisoning or severe injury caused by poachers.
A post-mortem of the animal was conducted by the Block Veterinary Officer (BVO). Sources said that a man was arrested a few days back on charge of electrocuting a tusker in a village under Soso policy limits. The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Abhaya Dalei of Anandapur Forest Division said that the carcass of the adult female elephant was recovered Wednesday. The actual reason behind the animal’s death could be ascertained only after the post-mortem report is available to them, the DFO added.