Elephant calf dies in snake bite

Baripada, Sep 26 (UNI) In a tragic incident, four year old elephant calf Luxmi, a sibling of the pet cow elephant 'Sova' dropped dead after she was bitten by a poisonous snake.

Simlipal Tiger Reserve(STR) sources said the incident took place while luxmi was grazing in the meadow at Dhudruchampa in the Core Area of Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR) on last Sunday.

The autopsy conducted jointly by the Assistant Chief District Veterinary Officer (ACDVO), Baripada and the Veterinary Assistant Surgeon, Jashipur confirmed that the elephant calf died of snakebite.

Luxmi was born to the pet cow elephant Sova at the STR's Elephant Camp at Jenabil in 2002. Sova was one among the three trained elephants bought by the STR from the Karnataka Wild Life Division in 2001 for employing them to combat poaching and smuggling in the STR.

Since then, the pet elephants were staying at the Elephant Camp at Jenabil in the Core Area of the reserve, STR sources said.

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