Poaching of an adult tusker has been found in Palamu tiger reserve. The tusker was found dead near Jawa Bridge under Chhipadohar range of PTR on Tuesday. The postmortem of the elephant was done on Wednesday at the place of its lying dead. A huge grave was dug up by a JCB machine for its burial there.
Field director PTR Mohan Lal said the tusk bore one chest wound which looked like a puncture one. Sources said this fatal wound is of the gun.
Lal also said the tusk of this elephant is cut and stolen. It is not there in the socket. It has been taken out surgically, said sources. A year back there was a similar gun killing of an elephant in the North division of the PTR.
Sources said in this case it was the element of revenge but here in this case of Jawa bridge episode commerce and trade of the tusk is right at the centre.
Had it been a tuskless elephant called Makana the casualty then would have been passed as one of conflict between man and elephant but here the tusk is stolen which leaves hardly anyone in doubt that professional poacher is behind this killing of this single tusk elephant.
Sources said poaching for tusk appears to be the prime cause of the killing of this tusker. The deceased was a single tusk elephant added Lal.
PTR officials have sounded alert in the tiger reserve wherein its forest guard, trackers, tiger strike force and other daily wagers have been asked to be on the lookout of anyone lurking suspiciously in the PTR.
The locale where this tusker sans tusk was found lying is in dense jungle near Jawa Bridge which too has its own history of elephants’ death by the running wheels of the trains here.