Latehar, Jharkhand | March 2, 2025:
An elephant was found dead in the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Jharkhand's Latehar district, marking the third such incident in the district within a single month, according to forest officials on Sunday.
The carcass of the tusker was discovered on Telhi hill, situated within the Betla range of the reserve, on Saturday afternoon. Forest officials confirmed that the elephant had suffered severe injuries during a fight with another tusker near Teen Khoria area earlier on Thursday.
Betla ranger Umesh Dubey explained, "The elephant had sustained critical injuries during an intense clash. Veterinary doctors immediately began treating the animal, but it moved away from the treatment site. The body was eventually located near Telhi hill during a search operation on Saturday."
Following standard protocols, forest officials conducted a postmortem examination before burying the carcass.
Growing Concerns Over Elephant Conflicts in Latehar District
The incident is part of a concerning trend of increased elephant fatalities attributed to intra-species conflicts in Latehar. Previously, on February 16, another male elephant was found dead within the Garu western range of PTR’s South Division, again suspected to be due to fights between elephants.Similarly, on February 7, forest officials discovered a blood-soaked body of another male elephant in the Dudhmatia forest, located in the Chandwa police station area. While this particular area does not fall under the reserve's jurisdiction, officials attributed this death as well to violent confrontations among elephants.
Forest authorities are closely monitoring the situation, given the recurring nature of these deadly encounters among pachyderms in the region.
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