Elephant dies after week-long battle for life

Baripada, Dec 13 (UNI) A nearly 7-foot tall healthy, hefty cow elephant, a perfect denizen of the Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR) died here after a week-long battle for life inside a ''murram'' ditch.

Ironically, the distance from where the murram was being exploited is located only four km away from the borders of the Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR)'s buffer zone, sources said.

''Murram'', a tough clayey gravel, used as a road metal is now very much in demand for construction of roads at various places of the district.

STR sources said the pachyderm suffered injuries in its trunk, face and left leg while negotiating the murram ditch on its way back to the reserve.

The pachyderm was one among the herd of four adult elephants that walked down the hills and entered into the Badsole, a foothill village for browsing on the standing kharif paddy crop.

Gangua Singh, a 40-year-old tribal villager of Badsole confirmed that the cow elephant was separated from the 4-member herd when the villagers chased the herd to save their crop.

While the three elephants entered the reserve, the separated cow went on fending for itself inside the murram ditch, Singh added.

On receipt of information, forest officials rushed to the spot and started treatment of the injured elephant. They even decided to translocate the elephant but despite their best of the treatment the elephant succumbed to the injuries.

A post-mortem conducted revealed that the animal had trunk paralysis and was suffering from other ailment.

Meanwhile, Society for Advancement of Forestry and Environment General secretary Soubhagya Das had strongly pleaded for a total ban on the indiscriminate exploitation of minor minerals from areas located in close proximity of the STR.

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