Keonjhar: The death of a female juvenile elephant due to herpes viral infection in Hadagarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha’s Keonjhar district has given rise to concerns over the well-being of other animals inside the sanctuary.
TheForest department discovered the 5-year-old elephant’s body in the Chakratirtha area of the sanctuary on September 28. Initially, the exact cause of death remained unclear but the post-mortem report confirmed that the animal succumbed to herpes virus infection, Anandapur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Abhaya Dalei said.
DFO Dalei said the Forest officials are unaware of the virus’s symptoms, mode of transmission and measures for prevention and that further information would need to come from veterinarians. This has raised concerns on whether some other elephants are also infected with this virus.
Measures initiated by the Forest department to prevent the spread of the infection and protect jumbos and other wildlife in the sanctuary have also remained unclear.
Anandapur Civil Society secretary and advocate Bhagaban Mallik and former sarpanch of Soso panchayat Bailochan Nayak stressed the importance of preventive measures by the Forest department to contain the spread of the virus and ensure the safety of elephants and other wildlife inside the sanctuary. They apprehended that failure to act could pose a severe threat to the wildlife in future.
According to 2024 elephant census, there were 24 elephants in the sanctuary, but with the recent deaths of three elephants, their population has come down to 21. The gradual decline in the elephant population has become a cause of worry for the Forest department.
