An elephant died as a crude bomb exploded inside its body after the animal swallowed it in the Bharatpur forest on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
As per reports, the tusker had mistakenly swallowed the crude bomb, presumably placed by poachers for hunting wild boars around 15 days ago. The bomb later exploded, leaving the pachyderm critically injured. The blast left the elephant with a severed tongue and shattered jaw.
The animal was initially spotted in an injured state by Forest Department officials on Monday.
Veterinary experts from the Nandankanan Zoological Park and the OUAT were roped in for the treatment of the elephant.
However, the tusker’s condition deteriorated during the treatment and it succumbed to its injuries.