( MENAFN - IANS) Bhopal, Oct 30 (IANS) Three more wild elephants who were critical died early on Wednesday, taking the death toll to seven from four in the core jungle area of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. A medical team of wildlife health officers and wildlife veterinarians from Bandhavgarh, and School of Wildlife Forensic and Health, Jabalpur carried overnight operation under the supervision of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun (Uttrakhand). However, three more elephants lost their lives.
The health of at least three other elephants from the same herd is still critical as they were unable to stand, official sources told IANS on Wednesday. In the biggest wildlife tragedy in Madhya Pradesh, four wild elephants (three females and one male) were found dead in the forest area under BTR on Tuesday. After the incident, the area was combed with teams and five more elephants were found lying on the ground in unwell condition.
"The actual cause of death will be ascertained after post-mortem and thorough investigation and combing of the area," Madhya Pradesh Chief Wildlife Warden Vijay N. Ambade said. However, Bhopal-based wildlife and RTI activist Ajay Dubey, demanded a magisterial probe into the incident.
He suspects that heavy use of pesticides in the standing crop, particularly paddy which was possibly consumed by the elephants, may have led to food poisoning. "It is the first case of so many elephants losing their lives in a small.