Bull elephant killed by ivory poachers in Orissa

Baripada, Sep 26 (UNI) A 60-year old bull elephant was killed by ivory poachers near Gurandia under Jenabil range of the Simlipal Tiger Reserve(STR) in Orissa.

STR sources said tribals of Simlipal villages derived a deadly toxic alkoloid from the roots of aconite trees under the genus ''ranunculaceous'', which was daubed on the V-shaped arrow heads.

The poachers, with the aid of such poisonous arrows, killed the elephant on September 23 and extracted the pair of tusks with a steel axe.

Post-mortem reports revealed that the pachyderm was poisoned and the carcass was buried inside a pit dug near the spot of the incident, sources informed.

Soon after the incident, all the three Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) of Baripada, Rairangpur and Karanjia will conduct combing operations in the peripheral forests to apprehend the poachers.

UNI XC DP SB SB AS1629