With the discovery of two more gigantic elephant carcasses from the Tileimal Patra forest in the Bamra Badram range in the Kuchinda district on Thursday, Odisha is still experiencing a high rate of elephant death.
After learning about the occurrence from the locals, forest officials hurried to the scene and immediately began an inquiry. The two jumbos’ exact causes of death have not yet been determined.
It’s possible that the pachyderms ingested pesticide-laced paddy from the adjacent fields before passing away.
One of the dead elephants is a male, and the other is a female, according to the forest officials.
Elephant deaths are so frequent—almost every week—that concerns about the safety and security of the state’s pachyderm herd are now being raised.
Elephants in distress in the State are on the verge of being extinct and face an unknown and frightening future. Elephants, once the pride of Odisha, now view the State as a cemetery.
Around 80 elephants were lost in Odisha in 2021–2022 for a variety of reasons. Between 1990 and 2000, 33 elephants perished on average. However, between 2001 and 2010, the number nearly doubled to 64. After that, things became worse as at least 950 elephants perished between 2010 and 2022.
According to wildlife specialists, insufficient patrolling and a lack of strong action against incompetent forest employees are to blame for the safety of our national heritage species in Odisha and the declining elephant population.
Prasanta Patnaik