Sambalpur: Killed 2 elephants by giving poison
Jamankira: Two elephants died due to the effect of pesticides. A female elephant and a tusk elephant died after eating rice plants sprayed with insecticides on Wednesday at midnight. However, due to the impact of insecticides available in the market these days the insects are not dying, while two elephant deaths have raised doubts. Environmentalists fear that poison has been deliberately used to kill elephants. This incident occurred in Bulyakani Patra forest near Sarda Panchayat Thileimal village of Sambalpur District Bamra Wildlife Division Badrama Sanctuary.
According to the information, Ushakothi wild elephants in the range came to the field of Thileimal village on Sardar Hills, which is recognized as an MP ideal retreat, on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, when the local villagers went to the hilly area, they found 2 elephants dead. On receiving information from the villagers, Sambalpur Regional Conservator of Forests Chittaranjan Mishra, Bamra DFO Falguni Partha Sarthi Mallick, ACF Badrama Range Officer Subas Naik, Second Officer Dilip Mendwala, Forester Ajmer Jaipuria chief officer reached the spot and investigated the incident.
They studied the elephant’s gait and its surroundings. They checked the Global Positioning System and recorded the location of the elephant’s death. On Wednesday, a farmer of the said village applied pesticides as the paddy sown in the hilly fields was infested with tubeworms. Therefore, the local villagers said that the elephants ran around and died due to eating poisoning rice crops and died in the nearby Chuliakani forest. The dead bodies of two elephants have been dissected at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Samples have been collected from the bodies of two dead elephants and sent to Bhubaneswar. It is said that samples will be sent out for testing. According to the Wildlife Protection Act, a case has been registered and the investigation is ongoing, according to the source of the department. However, fear of arrest in such a sensitive incident has created an atmosphere of fear in Thileimal village.
