Bhubaneswar, October 30 (Odisha.in) Do not send the rest of the elephants in a haste, Orissa government Tuesday told Andhra in a strong warded letter after the death of one of its two elephants deported by Andhra died few hours after their release.
A herd of 11 elephants had migrated to Andhra Pradesh in July this year. One of them died another returned back to home-Lakhari Valley sanctuary in Gajapati district.
Andhra government had captured four of rest nine elephants and trying to send them back to Orissa in trucks after the animals killed at least ten people and damaged properties, crops.
One of the two the Andhra government deported died Sunday night few hours after she was released. She went to a near by pond drank water. She went inside the pond for bath but did not return, forest range officer Kama Purohit told Odisha.in. Monday morning she was found dead, he said.
Wild life experts said the elephant died due to shock and dehydration triggered by long travel, lack of food and repeated administration of tranqualising drugs on its body.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has written a letter to the Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy expressing his unhappiness the way the elephants were treated, one of Patnaik’s official said.
The chief minister has advised Andhra Pradesh not to send the animals in haste. He has asked them to explore the scope of organizing a controlled drive of the elephants or herd towards the suitable nearby habitat.
He has also advised Reddy to wait till the end of the harvesting season of paddy crop when the herd might return on its own, the official said.
Interestingly the two elephants were moved in truck over a distance of 200 kilometers from Andhra Pradesh in 18 hours and the trauma and shock and repeated administration of tranquilising drugs might have triggered the death of one elephant, the chilef minister has pointed out.
Odisha.in