Elephant injured after eating food filled with explosives in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj
The elephant was being treated at the Talabandh Range office under the North Division of Similipal Tiger Reserve.
A 15-year-old elephant was found dead in Odisha’s Angul district, and a female elephant sustained grievous injuries in Mayurbhanj district in separate attacks suspected to have been carried out by poachers over the weekend, wildlife officials said on Monday.
In the first case, the tusker was found dead in Angul district’s Baliapashi area near Manikjodi village with gunshot injuries. The incident, which took place under the forest division’s Pokunda section, is being investigated by the forest range officer and other forest officials.
In the second case, a female elephant was found injured in the Betnoti forest range of Mayurbhanj district. Forest officials who tranquilised the tusker said the explosion in the elephant’s mouth had torn one-third of its tongue and had contracted a severe infection.
The elephant was shifted to the Talabandh Range office under the North Division of Similipal Tiger Reserve, where she is currently undergoing intensive treatment.
“The elephant has suffered deep oral wounds and lost nearly one-third of her tongue. A thorough investigation is underway, and stringent action will be taken against those found responsible,” said Similipal Tiger Reserve field director Prakash Chand Gogineni.
According to data presented by the central government in Lok Sabha on Thursday last week, 102 elephants died of unnatural causes in Odisha between 2019-20 and 2023-24. Of these, 17 were killed by poachers, 71 died of electrocution, and 14 were hit by trains.
In the same period, 528 elephants died across the country. Of them, 50 were killed by poachers, 392 died due to electrocution, 73 were killed by trains, and 13 died due to poisoning.
Odisha’s environment and forest minister, Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia, told the state assembly last week that 136 elephants had died in the state over the last 18 months. Of these, 42 died due to electrocution, four to poaching, four to train collisions, and another four were killed in retaliation. Natural causes claimed 31 lives, while the deaths of 20 elephants were still under investigation.
