Keonjhar, May 28: An adult tusker was allegedly shot by poachers at Kachapani forest here. The carcass of the animal, minus its tusks, was recovered from the forest.

Officials recovered the carcass of the elephant after local villagers informed them after finding its body in Suakati about five km from Anjar.

“I found the male pachyderm, about 25 years of age, shot dead by the poachers. It seemed as if the tusks were removed immediately after the animal was killed. It is suspected the elephant might have been killed sometime back,” said Prakash Das, ranger, BJP forest range.

The decomposed body of the male elephant was buried in the forest following a post-mortem. “An assistant conservator of forest along with a veterinary surgeon had trekked for four hours to reach the spot. The body of the tusker was in an advanced stage of decomposition. The veterinary surgeon conducted an autopsy and later buried the animal,” said Ajay Kumar Jena, district forest officer, Keonjhar.