10 Elephants Die Mysteriously In 3 Days In Madhya Pradesh; Probe Underway To Determine Cause

L Krishnamoorthy explained that viscera samples were initially sent to the School of Wildlife Forensic and Health of Jabalpur to check for toxins and causes of death.

Samples collected after the death of 10 elephants over three days this week in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh are being sent to ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Uttar Pradesh and the forensic laboratory in Sagar, according to an official.

Four wild elephants were found dead on Tuesday in the Khitoli range's Sankhani and Bakeli areas, followed by four more on Wednesday and two on Thursday. "We are sending all the samples we have collected from the field as well as organic, like viscera, liver, kidney, etc to the IVRI in Izatnagar in UP's Bareli as well as the MP forensic laboratory in Sagar," Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) L Krishnamoorthy told news agency PTI.

Krishnamoorthy, who leads a five-member committee set up by the government to investigate the deaths in Bandhavgarh, explained that viscera samples were initially sent to the School of Wildlife Forensic and Health of Jabalpur to check for toxins and causes of death.

In response to questions on whether the elephants consumed pesticides, MP Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF-Wildlife) VKN Ambade said, "Only after the reports come in can we arrive at a conclusion on the cause of death. Post mortem reports are suspecting it could be due to Kodo millets," MP Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF-Wildlife) VKN Ambade told PTI.

A senior veterinarian linked to the investigation reported that the elephants fell to the ground and shivered before dying. Six farmers were identified whose fields had kodo millet crops potentially eaten by the elephants, and pending tests will reveal if pesticides were used, she added.

Investigations Underway

Meanwhile, a five-member team from Delhi’s Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, along with the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s assistant inspector general, Nandkishore Kale, continued investigations at BTR.

"The state tiger strike force also visited nearby agricultural lands, paddy fields, water bodies, etc in connection with the kodo millets. All the dead elephants were part of a herd of 13. One of the dead elephants was male. The remaining three in the herd are healthy. They are being monitored," another official said, news agency PTI reported.

The deceased elephants were part of a herd of 13, with three surviving members currently under observation. Veterinarians suspect mycotoxins in kodo millet could have been a factor, as the compounds can produce cyclopiazonic acid, which is poisonous.

The wildlife veterinarians of the forest department are consulting experts from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) Bareilly, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Dehradun, State Forensic Science Laboratory, Sagar, and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) Hyderabad to get details about the mycotoxins, he said.

The official stated that the case is being investigated by the SIT and a special task. And, Krishnamoorthy-led panel is expected to submit report in 10 days. Wildlife experts say this may be the first case in India where 10 elephants have died within such a short period.