Four wild elephants were found dead during patrolling by forest staff at Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, confirmed wildlife officials, while refraining from speculation over the cause of death of the pachyderms.

The dead animals were discovered on Tuesday afternoon in the RF 384 and PF 183 A areas of the Salakhaniya Beat of the Khitauli and Pataur ranges of the sanctuary.

Following the reporting of the incident, combing operations by forest officials led to the discovery of five more elephants that were found lying on the ground in an unwell condition.

According to forest officials, the herd comprised a total of 13 animals, of which four, including one male and three females, have perished, and another five are reported to be unwell.

Four individual animals are reported to be healthy. Medical teams of wildlife health officers and wildlife veterinarians from Bandhavgarh, Sanjay Tiger Reserve, and the School of Wildlife Forensic and Health (SWFH) in Jabalpur are treating the wild elephants that have been found unwell.

The Tiger Strike Force (STSF) teams from Jabalpur and Bhopal are also reaching the site for further investigation.Park managers and veterinarians are seeking regular guidance from experts at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun.

Currently, the prime focus is on the treatment of the unwell elephants and reviving them from danger.The actual cause of death will be ascertained after a post-mortem and thorough investigation and combing of the area.Reports emerging from the area suggest that the deaths were caused by the spraying of pesticides by farmers on their crops, which were grazed by the wild animals.