Elephant calf dies of heat stroke in Orissa
By IANSFriday, April 23, 2010
BHUBANESWAR - With the mercury sizzling at more than 45 degrees Celsius in the state, a baby elephant died of heat stroke in Orissa’s Balasore district, an official said Friday.
The elephant calf was found dead inside the Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary in Balasore district, about 210 km from here. After a post-mortem examination it was found that the animal died due to heat stroke.
“We conducted a post-mortem examination. We found that it had no disease. The young elephant died of sun stroke,” said Rakesh Kumar Panigrahi, a veterinary doctor, who conducted the examination.
The Orissa Wildlife department started a survey on Thursday to determine the number of wild elephants in the state. According to a 2007 census, there were 1,862 elephants in Orissa.
A government report states that over 300 elephants have been killed in the state in the past six years.
