In yet another incident, a tusker was found lying dead in Dhenkanal forest division where maximum death cases were reported in the past several years.
Forest officials today said the body of a ten-year-old tusker was found at Guhalipur village forest area under Hindol forest range in the district on Wednesday last. Two of its tusks were, however, found intact.
Local villagers had noticed some injury marks over the body indicating that the tusker might have been hit by bullets of poachers. The site near which the body was detected, was close to a water body where elephants usually visit most often for water. The poachers, sources said, might have selected the place to kill the tusker.
However, when contacted Dhenkanal Divisional Forest Officer S Dalei and the local range officer G K Mahanaty ruled out any bullet injury.
They claimed that the juvenile tusker was killed by another male elephant due to their rivalry.
Mr Dalei said had there been any poaching then the poachers would have taken out the tusks of the elephant but the tusks were found intact even after two days of the tusker’s death.
He said the tusker might have died two days ago, but the carcass was detected on Wednesday only.
The wounds and all the circumstantial evidences indicated that he was killed by another full grown male due to their rivalry in the herd, Mr Mahanty said.
The Range officer said two herds of elephants were seen in the part of forest with one herd comprising seven members and the other consisting of 27.
In single herd, a male never tolerates another male and their animosity becomes very open during the mating time.
The DFOk, who rushed to the spot, said the post-mortem report,
will reveal whether it was killed due to poaching or fighting
between the two tuskers as happens normally in a herd.
