Bhopal: In what is being seen as a suspected case of poisoning, four elephants were found dead and another five in critical condition in Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh National Park Tuesday.
According to forest officials, patrolling staff spotted two dead elephants in the core Khitauli zone of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve Tuesday afternoon. Forest guards then launched a combing operation during which another five elephants were found lying unwell.
The nine elephants, including the four dead and five that are unwell, are from the same herd of 13 elephants. Among the four dead, three are female while one is male. A team of veterinarians from Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve along with another team from the School of Wildlife Forensic and Health, Jabalpur, were rushed to the spot and are treating the unwell elephants.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF-Wildlife) Vijay N. Ambade told ThePrint: “While initially there were two elephants found dead, the number subsequently increased to four. We are looking at all possibilities including suspected poisoning, but the actual cause will only be ascertained after thoroughly combing the area and after reports from post-mortem are available.”
He added: “All our staff are on the ground, giving the best possible treatment to those found in unwell condition.”
Ajay Dubey, an activist, said he had learnt that the elephants ate something outside the forest and then collapsed after coming into the forest area.
“It is believed that perhaps these elephants died after consuming pesticide-infected crops, but there needs to be a magisterial inquiry to ascertain the true cause. It is unlikely that any farmer in Umaria district will have pesticides in such high quantities that would be sufficient to poison nine elephants,” he told ThePrint.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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