Angul: Forest department staff recovered the bones and hides of an elephant calf from the Pampas forest range in Satkosia sanctuary in Odisha’s Angul district on Sunday. Sources said the elephant calf was around eight-year-old.
Such random killing of elephants across the state has angered wildlife enthusiasts and, at the same time, aggravated the concerns of the Forest department.
While the exact reason for the elephant calf’s death is yet to be ascertained, Forest officials are investigating the circumstances that might have led to the animal’s death. Forest officials have informed that the remains of the elephant calf have been sent for post-mortem and the exact cause of its death can be ascertained only after receiving the autopsy report.
It is worth noting that the Odisha Minister for Forest and Environment Pradip Amat recently told the state Assembly that 784 elephants have died in the last decade. As per the elephant census conducted in 2017, there are 1,976 elephants in Odisha.
