OD-ELEPHANT

Tusker found dead in Odisha forest
    Berhampur (Odisha), Dec 16 (PTI) A five-year-old
elephant with its tusks intact was found dead in Berhampur
Forest Division in Ganjam district on Sunday, forest officers
said.
    The carcass of the tusker was spotted on the outskirts
of Meghajholi village under the jurisdiction of Digapahandi
forest range, the officers said.
    The carcass of the tusker covered in blood and had
gunshot marks, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of
Berhampur Forest Division, A K Behera, said.
    "We suspect that the elephant was shot dead by some
miscreants, but the exact cause will be known only after an
autopsy is conducted," he said.
    Since its tusks, each around one-and-a-half feet in
length, are intact, professional poachers might not have been
involved in the killing, the DFO said.
    An investigation has been initiated to nab the
poachers, he added.
    A herd of eight elephants, including two tuskers, had
been roaming in the area for the last few months, and locals
were worried fearing a possible attack, forest officials said.
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