Balangir: An adult elephant was found dead near a dam in Odisha’s Balangir district on Saturday.
According to sources, the villagers of Suliamal and Gadiajor under Patnagarh block of the district had gone to the dam at Gadiajor to take bath in the morning. They spotted the dead tusker near the dam and informed the Forest department.
A team of officials including veterinarians from Larambha forest section in the block went to the spot. They started preliminary investigation as senior Forest officers were away attending the chief minister’s visit to Patnagarh.
As the news of elephant’s death spread, a large number of people from the two villages gathered there. They alleged that the tusker might have been killed by the live electricity wire laid to trap wild boars who visit the area to feed on the crop.
But Larambha Forester suspected that the elephant might have died due to old age related problems. However, the exact cause of death would be known after getting the post-mortem report, he said.