Berhampur: Forest officials on Saturday found the carcass of a 13-year-old female elephant from Khandisara forest under Ganjam district’s Jagannath Prasad range in Ghumusar North division. Forest officials suspected the animal might have fallen into a pit and died three to four days ago.
After getting information about its death from villagers, forest personnel went to the spot along with experts and veterinary doctors.

The carcass was buried after autopsy, said Himansu Sekhar Mohanty, divisional forest officer (DFO), Ghumusar north division.
The exact cause of the elephant’s death would be ascertained only after getting the autopsy report, he said. “We have collected different samples of the carcass, which would be tested in the laboratory at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar,” he said.
Forest officials suspected the young female elephant might have migrated from Nayagarh area. It is the third death of an elephant in the district in about a month and the second in a week. A female elephant died in Sadangipalli in Digapahandi forest range on Jan 30, and another female died on Jan 2 due to electrocution in the same area under Berhampur forest division, sources said.