TURA: Poachers have shot dead an elephant calf that was part of a herd moving through Gaptuli reserve forest in the Hollaidanga area of Tikrikilla late Tuesday night.
Villagers spotted the carcass of the calf with a bullet wound lying in the forest area. Preliminary investigations by wildlife officials indicated that the calf was part of a group of around four adult pachyderms that was moving in the area when poachers targeted them.
“All indications have pointed this to be the handiwork of poachers but we cannot understand why they would target a calf,” said DFO, Wildlife, Arpiyush Sangma while not ruling out the possibility that the poachers may have been targeting the adults in the group and failed.
As news spread about the killing of the calf, villagers came to the site and offered prayers and flowers on its corpse as a mark of respect to this majestic species.
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