Balasore, June 25: The wildlife division is in tizzy after a missing tusker was found critically injured here yesterday.

The division is also planning to use tranquilisers to enable doctors to provide treatment to the injured animal.

Jayant Mardaraj Harichandan, the honorary wildlife warden of Balasore, said: “The wounds are nearly a month old. The tusker is seriously ill and it can barely walk.” The jumbo was last seen about a month ago. At that time, he bore severe injury marks on his abdomen and front right leg. Since then, it went missing in the deep forests of Kuldiha and Nilgiri.

The department said the tusker, about 25-year-old, seems to have been attacked by villagers with arrows.

“It is not the misdeed of poachers. The villagers have tried to scare it away by shooting arrows when it had strayed into some village,' said range officer of Kuldiha Rabindra Mohapatra.

“The wounds are in a very bad condition due to pus formation. It is struggling with pain. We are keeping a close watch on it near Risia dam within the sanctuary,” he said.

Divisional forest officer Harsh Bardhan Udgata said the mobile veterinary unit stationed in Baripada was called in for treatment of the tusker. “He is not allowing us to approach. Either he is going inside bushes or turning aggressive on being approached.” “Before using a tranquilliser, we have to obtain the permission of the principal chief conservator of forests. However, efforts are on to capture him for treatment,” he said.