Bhubaneswar: An elephant was found dead at Damanbhuin Bhandarijhar under the Tangi range in Khurda district, on Friday.
Though the exact cause of the tusker’s death is unknown, electrocution is suspected to be the reason behind the pachyderm’s death.
This incident marks the second elephant death in the area within two months, raising alarm bells about the decreasing elephant population in Odisha. In a similar incident, a 9-month-old elephant calf died in the Athagarh forest range of Cuttack district due to septicaemia disease.
Earlier in June, a baby elephant was found dead at Sorishapal Reserve Forest under the Athagarh division. The age of the pachyderm was around five to six years old.
The Forest Department has, meanwhile, launched a probe into the latest death, amid growing concerns about the recurring fatalities in the the state.