Balasore: Trenches dug by the Forest Department to prevent the pachyderms from leaving their habitat and intruding into human settlements have proved to be the graves of these big animals.
On Monday, a pregnant elephant left her habitat in the Kulida Sanctuary bordering Balasore and Mayurbhank districts in Odisha in search of food, but she fell into a ditch dug by the Forest Department in the Badapada area of Kaptipada range near Chemchata Beat of Kuldiha sanctuary.
On being informed, Kuldiha ranger and Kaptipada ranger rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. JCB machines were also employed to help the elephant come out of the trench but all efforts to rescue the elephant alive failed. The starving pachyderm breathed her last in the trench four hours after the rescue operation began.
According to the Forest Department, the deceased elephant was more than 10 years old and pregnant.
