Odisha: The death of 4 elephants within 10 days in September raised concerns

Odisha: The continuous deaths of elephants have put Odisha in trouble and now questions are being raised about the protection of elephants in the state. At least four elephant deaths have been recorded in Odisha in September alone, the latest of which was due to suspected electrocution in Rourkela. According to sources, an elephant died on Tuesday after coming in contact with a high tension live wire in a forest near Nuagaon under Lathikata panchayat of Sundargarh. Forest department officials reached the spot and recovered the body after villagers reported the elephant’s death.

Earlier this month on September 4, the carcass of a female elephant was found near Kapabara of Champapur village in Gunupur, Raigad. Though the exact reason behind the death is unknown, it is suspected that the elephant may have died due to electrocution. Similarly, on September 2, a three-year-old ailing elephant calf undergoing treatment at the Godibari Elephant Training Center in Chandaka-Dampada Sanctuary on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar died. The baby elephant fell ill after a palm kernel got stuck in its throat. The baby, with wounds inside its mouth, was rescued in a critical condition from Devgaon forest in Bolangir district and brought to the Elephant Training Centre. However, it died during treatment. In another incident, the forest department personnel recovered the carcass of another baby elephant from the Genabil forest range under Simlipal Tiger Conservation Project in Mayurbhanj on September 2.