Elephant deaths: Action within a month, vows Forest & Environment Minister  

A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to probe the elephant deaths and action would be taken against those found guilty based on the findings of the SIT, said Forest and Environment Minister Pradeep Kumar Amat on Friday. 

“The State government is concerned about the increasing number of elephant deaths in the State. A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to probe the elephant death cases. It has been directed to submit its report within a month. As per the findings of the report, stringent action would be taken against the guilty,” said the Minister. 

On June 14, the tusker which was found with gunshot injuries near a rivulet in Narasinghapur forest range under Athagarh forest division in Cuttack district succumbed to injuries despite the efforts of expert doctors belonging to Satakosia Tiger Reserve, Nandankanan Zoological Park and Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology. 

The pachyderm had struggled for life for eight days.   

Earlier on June 14, a carcass of an elephant was exhumed in the same division. It was suspected that poachers buried the jumbo after killing it. 

Similarly, on June 2 and 3, a team of the special task force had stumbled upon two skeletal remains of a male and female elephant in the Athagarh forest division.