Bhubaneswar, Dec 18: An adult tusker elephant with a deep leg injury has been spotted roaming the Chandaka–Dampada Wildlife Sanctuary, raising serious concerns of poaching for ivory. The elephant is reportedly bleeding profusely from a wound on its leg, and forest officials suspect it may have been shot by poachers.
Following the report, the Chandaka Forest Division launched an intensive search operation on Wednesday morning. A special team comprising forest personnel and veterinarians has been deployed, and night camps have been set up inside the forest to track and monitor the injured animal. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Binod Acharya has directed officials to locate the tusker at the earliest and provide immediate medical treatment.
According to eyewitnesses, the massive tusker, with prominent tusks, was seen moving slowly near the Chandaka SOG campus on Wednesday afternoon. The elephant reportedly attempted to charge at some people who had entered the forest to collect firewood. While they managed to flee, they noticed a deep wound on the elephant’s leg with continuous bleeding, leading them to suspect that it had been attacked by poachers targeting its tusks.
Upon receiving the information, forest staff from the Chandaka and Dampara ranges intensified combing operations to trace the elephant. Officials said the exact cause of the injury—whether from a gunshot or another source—will be confirmed only after the animal is located and examined. The elephant will be tranquilized and treated by veterinarians once it is found, the DFO said.
The incident comes close on the heels of previous elephant deaths in the region. On the 21st of last month, a 20–22-year-old makhna (tuskless male elephant) was found sick in the Barabari forest area under Daruthenga Bhuasuni Mouza and later died during treatment. Forest officials had confirmed that the elephant had consumed an explosive device planted for wild boar hunting, leading to septicemia and death. Similarly, a tusker died in Bharatpur forest on February 13 last year after suffering injuries from an explosive blast in its mouth.
Forest officials have expressed concern over the rising incidents of elephant poaching in the state, driven by the illegal ivory trade. Poachers are reportedly targeting tuskers, while organized wildlife trafficking networks smuggle ivory out of the state, allegedly through routes via West Bengal and Assam to international markets. Despite occasional arrests of poachers by the Forest Department and the Special Task Force (STF), the larger trafficking syndicates continue to pose a major challenge.
