Tusker Shot Dead in Angul, Days After Leopard Dies in Poacher’s Snare

Angul: In a troubling sign of rising wildlife crime and escalating human–animal conflict, a tusker was reportedly shot dead by poachers in Odisha’s Angul Forest Division on Sunday night.

The incident took place near Manikjodi village under the Pokunda section of the forest division. Preliminary reports said the elephant had strayed into the Baliapashi area close to the village when poachers opened fire. The pachyderm sustained gunshot injuries and died on the spot.

The incident came to light on Monday morning, following which the Forest Range Officer and other forest personnel rushed to the site and initiated an investigation into the killing.

The elephant’s death comes just days after a similar poaching-related incident in the same forest division. On December 9, a leopard was found trapped in a poacher’s snare in the Karatapata section forest under Angul range. The animal is believed to have been caught during the previous night, with the incident detected the following day after local residents heard its distress calls.

Forest officials, along with a veterinary team, reached the spot and tranquilized the leopard before freeing it from the snare. However, despite rescue efforts, the animal later succumbed to its injuries. Sources said wildlife in the Karatapata forest area has repeatedly faced threats from illegal hunting, with poachers often laying snares at night, increasing the risk of fatal encounters for protected species.

The back-to-back deaths of a leopard and an elephant within a short span have raised serious questions about the effectiveness of anti-poaching measures and surveillance in Angul forests. Conservationists have warned that unless enforcement is strengthened and community-based strategies to address human–animal conflict are implemented, such incidents will continue to pose a grave threat to wildlife in the region.