Orissa a 'mute spectator' to Elephantacide: WSO

Bhubaneswar, Apr 27 (UNI) Orissa government has turned a ''mute spectator'' to the gory ''elephanticide'' as the poachers chased the tuskers in the state for ivory trading, Wildlife Society of Orissa(WSO) Secretary Biswajit Mohanty said.

Mr Mohanty claimed that during the last one year from April 2005 to March 2006 as many as 14 elephants were mercilessly killed in Orissa's forests.

The state famous since the times of King Ashoka for its magnificent elephants might soon lose that exalted status the way rampant elephant poaching is going on unabated inside the deep forests for ivory, he alleged.

In April alone two elephants were shot dead, one at Chandaka and the other at Satkoshia, both considered as the ideal habitat for the elephants in Orissa.

Ironically most of these poaching cases remained undiscovered in remote forest areas.

The growing menace of unchecked operation of elephant poachers and ivory traders was evident from the recent seizures of 64 kgs of ivory at Jashipur in Mayurbhanj district in December followed by another seizure of 10 kgs of ivory in Jharsuguda in January 2006.

Both the seizures, the WSO Secretary said were conducted by police officials giving a clear signal that the wildlife authorities have no information about the rampant tusk trade business going on across the state, Mr Mohanty alleged.

He alleged that most of the killings were now reported from the wildlife sanctuaries which were no more considered as a safe ''sanctuary'' to the endangered elephants.

In a shocking incident on April 13, Mr Mohanty said an elephant was found shot dead inside Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary, which is just on the outskirts of the state capital.

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