Odishatv Bureau

Kalahandi: Jumbo death continues unabated in Odisha as one more full-grown elephant was found dead at the Karlapata wildlife century in the district on Friday morning.

The carcass of the giant was found near the Ghusuri Ghudi waterfall in Kalahandi south forest division of the Karlapata wildlife sanctuary.

Divisional Forest Officer, T. Ashok Kumar has reached the spot and ordered a preliminary inquiry as it is for the third time in 11 days that a dead elephant has been found in the sanctuary.

Odisha PCCF Wildlife clarified media that the jumbo might have died to Haemorrhagic Septicaemia, resulting from the bacterial infection in the water contaminated by the use of cattle in the nearby human settlements.

He also informed that water bodies in the region are being sanitised while cattle are also being vaccinated to avoid the spread of the disease. Forest department officials have been asked to maintain high vigil and prevent elephants from straying into the region in view of chances of more infection cases.

Kumar told reporters that as per preliminary findings it is suspected that the elephant might have been infected with a viral disease, which caused the death.

Till the last report came in, teams of forensic and Wildlife and Animal Resources experts had reached the spot and started post-mortem of the body to find out the actual cause of death.

It's worth mentioning here that on February 1 and 8 the carcasses of two more elephants were found at the same spot which has puzzled forest department officials to attribute a plausible cause to the phenomenon.

On February 17 last year Bikram Keshari Arukha, Odisha’s Forest and Environment minister had stated in the floor of the Odisha Assembly that between 2016-2019, 246 elephants had died due to various reasons such as accidental electrocution, disease, accidents involving trains and other vehicles, natural and other causes.

Nevertheless, despite claims of several initiatives undertaken by the government for the conservation and protection of elephants in the state, the spate of deaths has raised a big question mark over the efficacy of such moves.

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