Jumbo calf dies of sunstroke

BALASORE/BARIPADA: Dry water bodies and shortage of water in the forest areas of the northern parts of the State have left the animals thirsty.Falling prey to the rising temperature was an year-old elephant calf. The calf was found dead in the buffer zone of Similipal forest on Monday. Forest officials suspect intestinal convulsions as the reason for the death of the baby elephant.“The calf might have come in a herd for drinking water and suffered from intestinal convulsions after consuming it  in quick successions,” said an official.The post-mortem confirmed that the elephant had died of sunstroke, said Regional Conservator of forests Anup Nayak. The day temperature in the region crossed 42 degree Celsius for the past three days.In fact, intense heatwave and high humidity have not only made life miserable, but the animals too are bearing the brunt. With mercury shooting up, several traditional water sources in the forests have dried up, while the water level has receded elsewhere. For animals summer has been the worst in recent times making them vulnerable to poachers.The northern zone has three reserve forests - Kuldiha in Balasore, Hadgarh in Keonjhar and Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) and national park in Mayurbhanj. Animals migrate from isolated pockets  to nearby villages in search of water as the mercury rises and the frequency of such trips to the water bodies attracts poachers.Forest officials said though there is shortage of water sources in buffer zones, the core areas have several perennial water sources in addition to the water harvesting structures built by the department to tackle summer problem. “In Similipal and Kuldiha water resources are plenty but we are alert to meet any challenge in the event of the sources drying up,” added Nayak.