A female wild elephant is currently undergoing intensive treatment in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district after sustaining severe injuries to its mouth, allegedly caused by consuming an explosive device, a forest official said on Monday.
The five-year-old elephant was spotted in a forest area on the morning of December 12. According to Gobinda Chandra Biswal, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Baripada division, the animal had entered the Baripada forest range after migrating from the Nilagiri area of the neighboring Balasore district.
The elephant, which had severe injuries to its tongue, was rescued on December 13. It was subsequently tranquilized and moved to a nursery facility within the Similipal North Division, he said.
Meanwhile, a team of veterinary doctors is currently treating the animal. “The exact cause of the injury will be ascertained by the treating veterinary team,” DFO Biswal stated, adding that the suspected cause is the ingestion of explosives.
