Angul: The skeletal remains of a wild elephant were found in Pampas forest range of Satkosia wildlife sanctuary in Odisha’s Angul district.
Forest officials recovered the bones in a crater near Chotamunda under Tarbha section on Sunday. The animal, aged around eight years, is suspected to have died about four months ago, sources said.
However, the exact cause for its death is not yet known. Meanwhile, a team of forest officials rushed to the spot on Monday and are taking stock of the situation. They have collected samples of the bones and hide.
Sources said that the samples have been sent to OUAT, Bhubaneswar for examination.
The officials have started an investigation to ascertain the circumstances leading to its death. They are probing if the animal had died naturally or was killed by poachers. Notably, death of this elephant came to light hours after another elephant was found dead in Ganjam district.