Another elephant found dead in C'garh; 6th fatality in 10 days

Raigarh: A wild elephant was found dead at a village in Chhattisgarhs Raigarh district on Thursday, an official said.

This is the sixth death of an elephant in the state in the last 10 days.

On Thursday morning, the carcass of a tusker was spotted behind a house in Behramar village under Chhal forest range of Raigarh, Divisional Forest Officer, Dharamjaigarh division, Priyanka Pandey said.

Forest personnel rushed to the spot after being alerted by the villager behind whose house the carcass was found, she said.

The cause of death will be known after the postmortem, Pandey said adding an investigation is underway.

On Tuesday, an elephant died after coming in contact with a live electric wire at a farm in a village of Dharamjaigarh forest division of Raigarh.

Five people, including three staff members of the state power company, were later arrested in connection with the death.

In another incident on Tuesday, an elephant calf died after being stuck in a marshland in Dhamatri district.

Last week, carcasses of two elephants were recovered from the Pratappur forest range of Surajpur district on June 9 and 10, while another jumbo was found dead in its neighbouring Balrampur district on June 11.

Later, three state forest officials and a guard were suspended and a show cause notice was issued to a divisional forest officer for alleged dereliction of duty in connection with the death of the elephant in Balrampur.