Death Of Tusker Stranded In Mahanadi Not Due To Drowning, Says Report

Bhubaneswar: The death of a tusker, who was trapped in the swirling Mahanadi on September 24, was not due to drowning, the preliminary postmortem report said.

The carcass was found near Satabatia a day later.

Head of the Department of Pathology, Odisha University of Agriculture Technology (OUAT), Dr Sushen Panda on Thursday said that the tusker had died of cardiac shock due to its prolonged stay in the water. “The tusker drowned after its death,” he added.

The stomach of the tusker was empty and the small and large intestine were empty and congested, the report said, adding that it died of mental shock.

The postmortem was conducted on September 28 by Veterinary Officer Dr Deepak Kumar Senapati and Additional Veterinary Assistant Surgeon Chinmaya Bhuyan of Salepur block in Cuttack district.

The viscera of the tusker was later sent to the Project Coordinator, Centre for Wildlife Health, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry of the OUAT.

Swept away by strong currents in the Mahanadi, the tusker was found stuck near Mundali bridge in Odisha’s Cuttack. ‘Operation Gaja’ was launched to rescue the mammal, the large crowd near the bridge affected the rescue mission. A powerboat carrying five ODRAF personnel and two journalists soon overturned near the elephant. Journalist Arindam Das drowned to death while the body of ODRAF personnel Sitaram Murmu was recovered at Kakhadi Mahalapada Gumei Sahi in Athagarh block the following afternoon.