Odisha to Procure Elephant Rescue Vehicles From WB

Bhubaneswar: In a bid to check elephant deaths in Odisha, elephant rescue vehicles with crane and tranquilization facilities will be procured from West Bengal. They will be used to rescue trapped and stranded elephants, informed Chief Wildlife Warden Sandeep Tripathy on Tuesday. Likewise, two more vehicles will be procured to rescue carnivorous and herbivorous animals.

The forest department has also submitted a proposal to the state government to increase the compensation amount for animal attack victims from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.

As per data released by Wildlife Society of Odisha (WSO), 67 elephants have died in the last nine months. Out of them, 18 elephants died due to natural causes, 19 of unknown reasons, four were killed by poachers, nine were electrocuted by live wire, 11 by sagging lines and six elephants were mowed down by trains.

These deaths were reported between April 1, 2018 and December 18, 2018. A total of 435 elephants have met untimely death in Odisha during 2011-17.