Baripada: An elephant has been found dead with its tusks removed in Similipal wildlife sanctuary in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.
Speaking to media persons in Baripada on Thursday, deputy director of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) north division, Samrat Gowda DS said the locals spotted the elephant carcass in Gopinathpur forest under Pithabata range of the sanctuary on Wednesday and informed the Forest department.
A joint team of Forest officials and veterinarians went to the spot and found its tusks cut off. The veterinary doctors performed autopsy of the carcass.
Gowda said the Forest officials found an arrow stuck in the head of the elephant and the rusks cut off manually. The elephant’s age was 8-9 years and it was killed 2-3 days back.
Stating that some poachers had killed the pachyderm, he said efforts are on to nab them.
It may be noted that another elephant was found dead with its tusks removed in Talabandha wildlife range of Similipal sanctuary in January last week. The carcass of a 25-year-old tusker with missing tusks was found at a village in the district in January, 2021.
