TV
The unabated death of elephants has put Odisha in a tight spot with questions now being raised over the safety and security of the jumbos in the State.
Odisha registered at least four elephant deaths in September alone with the latest being reported due to suspected electrocution in Rourkela.
According to sources, an elephant reportedly died on Tuesday after coming in contact with a high tension live wire at a forest near Nuagaon under Lathikata panchayat in Sundargarh.
On being informed about the death of the elephant by the villagers, Forest Department officials reached the spot and recovered the body.
Earlier this month on September 4, a carcass of a female elephant was found near Kapabada at Champapur village at Gunupur in Rayagada. Though the exact reason behind the death is unknown, it is suspected that the jumbo might have died due to electrocution.
Similarly on September 2, a three-year-old ailing elephant calf, undergoing treatment at Godibari elephant training centre in Chandaka-Dampada sanctuary on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, died.
The jumbo calf fell sick after a palm kernel got stuck in its throat. The calf, with wounds inside its mouth, was rescued from Deogaon forest in Bolangir district in a critical condition and brought to the elephant training centre. However, it died during treatment.
In another incident, a carcass of another calf was recovered by Forest department personnel from Jenabil forest range under the Similipal Tiger Conservation Project in Mayurbhanj on September 2.
2800 Poaching Cases in Last 10 Years in Odisha
Meanwhile, Odisha seems to be turning into a heaven for the poachers and wildlife smugglers with the State reporting over 2800 poaching cases in the last 10 years.
“2869 wild animals including tigers, bears, deer and elephants were poached during the last 10 years in Odisha and 6960 poachers have been arrested,” Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia had informed the Odisha Legislative Assembly on August 27.
As per the available data, Odisha has reported more than 780 elephant deaths over the last 10 years.
While 82 jumbos died in 2012-13, the figure was 86 in 2015-16, 93 in 2018-19, 82 in 20219-20, 86 in 2021-22, 92 in 2022-23 and 65 in 2023-24.
Similarly, 11 wild elephants were killed by poachers during 2022-23.
