Odisha officials charged with hiding elephant deaths, Centre seeks report (India)
Odisha officials charged with hiding elephant deaths, Centre seeks report
(India)
Debabrata Mohanty, The Hindustan Times
June 16, 2022
See link
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/odisha-officials-charged-with-hiding-elephant-deaths-centre-seeks-report-101655320638433.html
for photo.
BHUBANESWAR: The environment ministry on Wednesday sought a report from the
Odisha government on deaths of elephants , including those cause by
poaching in the state. Some of these deaths were allegedly concealed by the
state forest department.
Environment minister Bhupendra Yadav tweeted that his ministry has sought a
report from the Odisha government on elephant poaching incidents in the
state. Later, the Project Elephant division of his ministry said strict
action under the Wildlife Protection Act should be taken against those
involved in the killings in a letter to state government.
“My ministry has taken cognisance of the incidents and the matter has been
taken up with the state government for strict action against the poachers
to ensure protection of our wildlife heritage,” Yadav tweeted.
He was responding to a tweet by union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan
on the death of a wounded elephant who was shot by poachers in Athagarh
forest range a few weeks ago.
On Wednesday, the tusker who was shot by people believed to be poachers
three weeks ago in Narasinghpur range of Athgarh forest division, succumbed
to injuries. The 10-year-old tusker had gunshot injuries at five to six
places on its body and was found writhing in pain near a rivulet in
Narasinghpur east range of the forest division on June 7.
“The death of a wounded tusker… is distressing for all wildlife
enthusiasts. This is not just a one-off incident in Odisha. According to
media reports around 947 elephants have died due to poaching, poisoning,
electrocution and accidents in the last 12 years in Odisha,” Pradhan
tweeted.
The education minister, who hails from Odisha, was highlighting the bigger
wildlife crisis in the state, where the bodies of at least 10 elephants
were found buried in different forest ranges of the state since September
last year.
On Wednesday, skeletal remains of an elephant were found inside Athagarh
forest range in Odisha, the third this month, amid allegations that the
forest department was concealing elephant deaths.
Odisha forest minister Pradip Amat and chief wildlife warden Shashi Paul
did not respond to HT’s calls and messages on the matter.
Athagarh divisional forest officer Sudarshan Gopinath Yadav said
investigations have begun to find out how the elephant died and why the
staff responsible for keeping an eye on the elephants were clueless.
The incident came a day after an ailing tusker in the same forest division
died after suffering multiple pellet wounds three weeks ago.
On June 2 and 3, the special task force (STF) of Odisha police found bones
and exhumed carcasses of two other elephants from Athagarh forest range.
The elephants had died due to electrocution and their bodies were buried to
conceal their deaths, said regional chief conservator of forest M
Jogajayananda.
Following the exhuming, the STF arrested six persons, including a forest
guard and three elephant watchers and suspended two forest rangers. Two
foresters accused of suppressing the facts with the forest department are
absconding.
Last month, the department found that the local foresters tried to hide the
graveyard of two elephants with a new-constructed road in the Boudh forest
division.
“We spotted the carcass and informed the officials. Tusk of the elephant
was also missing. We are sure it was hunted by poachers for ivory. But next
morning the carcasses were not there and all that remained was a
newly-constructed road inside the forest,” said a Boudh villager, who was
not willing to be named.
The forest department has suspended three forest officials including a
forester while it investigated the matter.
On February 8, the special task force of Odisha CID found the remains of a
tusker in the Narasinghpur West forest range of Athagarh Forest Division
whose carcass was burnt and tusks removed. During the investigation by the
regional chief conservator of forests, the two tusks miraculously
reappeared , raising questions whether the tusks actually belonged to the
burnt and buried tusker.
In October last year, people of Jhankarpalli village under Sadar range of
Sambalpur forest division reported the burning and burial of a poached
tusker allegedly by subordinate staff of forest department in Munderchuan
reserve forest. Senior forester department officials exhumed the skeletal
remains and sent them for forensic tests, whose results are still awaited.
Wildlife activist and elephant conservationist Biswajit Mohanty said though
it is difficult to conceal an elephant death, the Odisha forest department
appears to have mastered the art.
“The finding of an elephant body whose death is unnatural would mean filing
a case, investigating and trying to apprehend the culprits, a tedious work
for an officer. The fear of being punished with suspension for dereliction
of duties prompt lower level staff not to report an unnatural death as
seniors of the division do not offer any support or instill confidence,”
Mohanty said.