Adult Tusker Found Dead in West Singhbhum, Poisoning Suspected

Jamshedpur: An adult tusker was found dead in West Singhbhum district on Thursday. Forest officials suspected the elephant, aged about 27 years, died of poisoning, but said forensic investigation was needed to conclude the cause of death.The carcass was found in a field in Malikapur village under Jaitgarh police station limits in the morning. Forest officials from the Chaibasa forest division, including the ranger, veterinarians and guards, reached the village and carried out a postmortem examination.“Our veterinary team couldn’t determine the cause of death in the autopsy report. We have preserved the viscera for forensic investigation at FSL Ranchi to know the cause,” said Chaibasa divisional forest officer Aditya Ranjan. The DFO said the elephant did not have signs of injuries or electrocution.“Poison could be the cause of death but needs to be examined by the FSL experts,” the DFO said.Forest department officials said the tusker was moving along the state’s border with Odisha for the past four days. Ranjan said that both the tusks of the elephant are intact, but the probe will also try to ascertain whether the jumbo was killed by poachers.Notably, seven elephants have been killed in West Singhbhum district from June last year due to various reasons.