A wild elephant died after allegedly consuming suspected explosive material in Kandhamal district of Odisha, according to forest officials on Saturday.
The carcass of the elephant was discovered in the Belghar forest range under the Baliguda forest division in the district. Upon receiving the information, forest officers, including Baliguda Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Biswaraj Panda, arrived at the scene to conduct an investigation into the cause of death.
Preliminary findings suggest the elephant sustained severe injuries after reportedly consuming an explosive substance. A forest official said that the animal had previously been tranquilised and treated for these injuries in Bolangir district approximately 10 days ago.
Following its treatment, the injured elephant travelled through forest corridors before entering the Belghar area, where it ultimately succumbed to its condition, he said.
“The elephant was around 9 to 10 years old. We have conducted the post-mortem, and further investigation is in progress,” said the DFO.
This incident follows a previous controversy in the same forest region, where a wild tusker’s carcass was reportedly dismembered into 32 pieces by the then-forest range officer and buried across the Kandhamal and Kalahandi districts. An investigation into that earlier case is still ongoing.
