A female elephant was found dead in a farmland at Deepasai Tola under the Jagannathpur police station area of Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district on Friday morning. Both tusks were reportedly missing, raising suspicion of possible poaching or ivory smuggling.Forest officials reached the spot after villagers alerted them about the carcass. A preliminary inspection was carried out and evidence was collected from the area. The elephant’s carcass has been sent for postmortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.Key HighlightsA female elephant was found dead in a field in West Singhbhum, Jharkhand.Both tusks were reportedly missing from the carcass.The missing tusks have raised suspicion of possible poaching and ivory smuggling.Forest officials have collected evidence from the site.The exact cause of death is yet to be established.A postmortem examination is being conducted.Officials are examining natural death, poaching and other possible causes.Elephant Found Dead in FieldVillagers discovered the elephant’s body in a farmland at Deepasai Tola and informed the Forest Department. A team of forest officials reached the location at around 9 a.m. and began a preliminary investigation.During the inspection, officials found that both tusks were missing. This has led to suspicion that ivory smugglers could be involved, although authorities have not confirmed poaching as the cause of death.The carcass has been sent for postmortem, and officials said the medical examination and evidence collected from the site will help establish what happened.Poaching Angle Under InvestigationThe missing tusks have made poaching one of the angles being examined by investigators. However, the Forest Department is also considering other possibilities, including natural death and other causes.Officials have stressed that the exact cause can only be determined after the postmortem report and further examination of the evidence gathered from the location.Several Elephant Deaths Reported in RegionThe latest incident comes amid a series of elephant deaths reported in and around the Jagannathpur region over the past year. Forest officials said nearly seven elephant deaths have been recorded in the area during this period.Elephant herds frequently move through the forested areas around Jagannathpur and sometimes enter nearby villages and residential settlements. Their movement has contributed to crop damage, property loss and recurring human-elephant conflict.Other elephant deaths have also been reported in Jharkhand this year. In September, an elephant in Latehar died after coming into contact with an illegally laid live electric wire. In May, a young elephant in Giridih died after becoming trapped in dense vegetation and suffering from starvation and dehydration.For now, the Forest Department is awaiting the postmortem findings before determining the next course of action in the West Singhbhum case.
