Bhanjanagar, June 9: A disintegrated skeleton of a female elephant calf was recovered from the Paichhalia Reserve Forest under the Gayaganda Section of Tarasingh Range in Ganjam district's North Ghumusar Forest Division on Monday, raising fresh concerns over elephant mortality in the region.
Forest officials said the calf, estimated to be around five years old, had likely died nearly two months ago. The skeletal remains, along with traces of skin and teeth, were recovered during a field inspection after local residents alerted the department.
Wildlife experts examined the remains at the site and collected samples for laboratory analysis. The bones, skin and teeth will be sent to the OUAT laboratory in Bhubaneswar to ascertain the cause of death.
North Ghumusar DFO Himanshu Sekhar Mohanty and Tarasingh Ranger Prashant Behera visited the spot and supervised the preliminary investigation. Officials said the elephant had died long ago, but the exact cause of death remains unknown.
The discovery marks the third elephant death reported in the Tarasingh Range within the last three months. An 11-year-old male elephant had died due to illness near Gayaganda on May 10, while a tusker was found dead in the nearby Bhogara forest on March 10.
According to sources, the skeletal remains were first spotted by a goat herder while grazing livestock in the forest. He informed villagers, who subsequently alerted the Forest Department. A team of forest personnel and veterinarians later reached the site and conducted an investigation before burying the scattered remains.
Forest officials also found multiple leopard pugmarks near the carcass, indicating that the animal's flesh and skin may have been scavenged after death. However, authorities clarified that there is no evidence yet linking the elephant's death to predation or any other specific cause.
The remains were found deep inside the dense Paichhalia forest, located beyond the hilltop village of Dangabhui under Gayaganda Panchayat. Officials noted that Kalbaisakhi rains and storms had scattered the bones over a wide area, suggesting the elephant had died several weeks earlier.
DFO Mohanty said the exact cause of death would be known only after the laboratory examination reports are received. The recurring elephant deaths in the range have sparked concern among wildlife conservationists and environmentalists, who have called for closer monitoring of elephant habitats in the region.
