A five-year-old tusker died on Tuesday in the Saradhapur Reserve Forest under the Narsinghpur West Range due to diarrhea. Range Officer Gourishankar Dash admitted that the pachyderm was suffering from diarrhoea for the last couple of weeks and it was under the scanner of forest officials, but due to lack of proper treatment it died.
In the presence of ACF Purna Chandra Guru and Range Officer Dash, Kanpur veterinary surgeon Sudhir Panda made an autopsy of the tusker’s body and buried it in the jungle.
It is also revealed that three days back, a three-year-old female elephant had died near the Kankadakhai canal under Deobhuin Reserve Forest. Similarly in last month, an eight-month-old female elephant had died near the Budhabudhi Hill under the same range area.
Asked about the matter, DFO Arun Kumar Swain said diarrhoea could be the cause of the elephants’ death. locals are deeply concerned over the jumbos’ death and hold forest officials responsible for it. Callousness of the forest officials is ruining the jungles and wildlife, they allege.