Bijnor (Uttar Pradesh), July 14 The carcass of a three-year-old elephant that was found in the Jaspur gate area of Amangarh Tiger Reserve by forest department, had actually died of a festering wound in the leg.
The decomposed carcass was found on Sunday by the forest staff and sent for post mortem.
However, villagers claimed that they had spotted the carcass lying in the forest for the past 15 days.
M. Semmaran, Bijnor divisional forest officer (DFO), has ordered a probe into the matter.
He said, "We are probing the matter thoroughly. If forest staff showed any negligence in tracing the elephant earlier, strict action will be taken against the erring personnel."
He said that it appeared that the elephant was wounded in the rear leg and had been separated from its herd.
A camera trap had sighted the elephant walking with a limp a month ago but forest rangers failed to trace it and ensure proper treatment.
A post-mortem has been conducted and the viscera will be sent for tests for ascertaining the exact cause of death.
The DFO said, "The post mortem of the three-year-old elephant was conducted in the presence of senior officials. It had a wound in its leg that hampered its movement. With time, the wound festered and the animal was apparently unable to move from one place to another. This could be a reason for it getting separated from its herd. Its picture caught on camera a month ago showed it was limping."
According to the census conducted last year, Amangarh Tiger Reserve is home to some 200 elephants and 27 tigers.
The wildlife count goes up in summer when high temperature and water scarcity drive the animals, including elephant herds, from Corbett tiger reserve to Pili Dam reservoir in Amangarh reserve.
This summer, more than 100 elephants have already crossed over to ATR and have been spotted around the reservoir, said the officials.
The Amangarh reserve has 12 water holes and is crisscrossed by three monsoon rivers Pili, Feeka and Dhara and numerous streams. A large number of Rohini trees laden with juicy fruit, a favourite of elephants, provides ample food for the elephants.
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