Female elephant found dead in Odisha’s Bolangir; forest department launches probe

A female elephant was found dead inside a forest area under the Muribahal Range in Odisha’s Bolangir district on Tuesday, prompting an investigation by the Forest Department.

The carcass was discovered near Jamilisar village under the Jaytara Section after local residents alerted forest officials on Tuesday morning. Following the information, teams from the Forest Department and police rushed to the spot, secured the area, and conducted a preliminary inspection.

Elephant Was Under Observation

Forest officials said the elephant had entered the Muribahal Range from the Titilagarh Range a few days ago and was reportedly suffering from illness. The Forest Department had been tracking its movement and was planning to provide medical treatment.

Preliminary Findings

Initial findings suggest that the elephant likely died on Monday night. Officials suspect that the animal was aged and may have succumbed to underlying health issues. However, they said the exact cause of death would be confirmed only after a post-mortem examination.

Bolangir Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF), along with two forest rangers, visited the site and reviewed the situation.

Muribahal Forest Ranger Siba Prasad Naik said an investigation into the elephant’s death is underway, and the cause will be established after the post-mortem.

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Post-Mortem Examination Awaited

An expert team from Bhubaneswar was expected to reach the site to conduct the post-mortem examination. Officials said details regarding the nature of the illness and the duration of the elephant’s health condition could be determined only after the examination.