7 Elephants dead in Bandhavgarh; probe ordered
Madhya Pradesh's Forest Minister Ramniwas Rawat has ordered a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the death of the tuskers and asked officials to ensure strict action against culprits
PTI

Umaria
(MP), 30 Oct
Three more
elephants have died in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Madhya Pradesh's
Umaria district, taking the toll to seven, while the condition of three other
tuskers was serious, a forest official said on Wednesday.
Madhya
Pradesh's Forest Minister Ramniwas Rawat has ordered a probe by a Special
Investigation Team (SIT) into the death of the tuskers and asked officials to
ensure strict action against culprits.
BTR's
deputy director Prakash Kumar Verma said prime facie, the elephants seemed to
have died after consuming Kodo millet, but the exact cause will be known after
the autopsy.
Four wild
elephants were found dead in the BTR on Tuesday while four others, part of the
same herd of 13 tuskers, were found ill during routine patrolling, officials
earlier said.
Verma on
Wednesday said so far seven elephants have died. They were part of the herd of
13 pachyderms, he informed.
The
condition of three other jumbos was serious and they were being treated, while
the BTR teams were monitoring the movement of remaining elephants that were
part of the herd, he said.
On Tuesday,
Verma informed that four elephants were found dead in Salkhania and Bakeli
areas under Khitoli range of the reserve, a popular tourist attraction, during
routine patrolling by forest guards.
In a post
on X late Tuesday night, Forest Minister Rawat said the untimely death of the
precious elephants in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve was saddening and
heart-breaking.
In view of
the seriousness of the issue, officials have been directed to immediately
constitute an SIT and take strict action against the culprits, Rawat said.-PTI
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