Body of a wild female elephant was recovered from Gachuka forest of Baliguda forest division in Kandhamal district.
According to the autopsy report and circumstantial evidences, the elephant had died because of serious ailments following child birth. Speaking to The Hindu , Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Baliguda, V. Kartik said the dead pachyderm has been ascertained to be the mother of a calf rescued from outskirts of Dupi village near Gachuka village on January 16. The calf was around three months old but its mother was not with it.
Presence of the body inside the jungle was known on Saturday from the smell of decomposition. A team of forest officials led by the DFO reached the remote spot, seized the body and sent it for an autopsy. It had died around 24 to 30 hours back. Although there were some allegations that she had been killed by poachers, detailed investigation proved that it had died due to uterine problems following child birth. According to Mr Kartik, in several wild animals including elephants, post-delivery illness leads to death. Uterine infection occurs during child birth, which does not heal naturally in some cases. Uterus of the dead elephant was also found to be infected.
Killing could also be ruled out as it was not male and her teeth were intact, which are sought after things for poachers, said the DFO.
Circumstantial evidence also showed that the animal was in severe pain when she died because of which she had pulled out branches of nearby trees and a twig had pierced right eye and the eyeball had come out of the socket. Autopsy report also did not find any injury due to weapons including bullets on the body.