When forest officials of Ranchi observed World Elephant Day on August 12 for motivating people to help conserve and protect elephants from various threats they face, they found a grown up male elephant dead.

After being informed that an elephant with an injury on a leg was seen standing for a long time in a small river, the forest officials went to look for it on August 11 but could not find despite searching in the jungle.

When the team that had the local range officer and a veterinarian resumed their search the next day, they found the elephant lying dead in Chipidih forest in the Angara area of Ranchi district, around 45 km from the Jharkhand capital.

“It’s a big loss,” said Saba Ahmad, divisional forest officer (DFO) of Ranchi, confirming the death of the elephant and they did not get the chance to attend the animal.

The elephant had an injury on one of its front legs and died of the septic wound, junior forest officials informed, quoting the veterinarian who had accompanied them.

“Yes, it must be the same elephant,” DFO Ahmad confirmed when asked about an injured elephant that was seen in the same area with a similar wound about two months ago.

The Telegraph had reported on June 7 that an injured elephant was found standing on a small water body near Hesadih village in the first week of June that was taken care of by the villagers.

Seeing the elephant standing like that, the villagers guessed the animal must be in severe pain.

They had kept paddy and vegetables like pumpkins and bottle gourds near the water body so that it could eat something.

They also informed the local forest officials who, in turn, informed their seniors.

DFO Ahmad then went to the spot with the veterinary surgeon of Ranchi’s Bhagwan Birsa Munda Biological Park to see the wounded animal.

Despite searching in the jungle, they could not find the animal at the spot, he had informed this paper. But, judging by the photographs and video clips shown to them, they found there was an injury on the left front leg of the elephant.

They left some broad spectrum antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and enzymes with the villagers and advised them to stuff those in pumpkins and bottle gourds and keep near where the elephant was expected, vet Ajay Kumar had added.

After two months, an elephant with similar injury was found again in a nearby forest, suggesting it could be the same that was seen two months ago.