Bhubaneswar: After a tusker succumbed to its injuries in the Athagarh forest area of Cuttack district, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has assured strict action against poachers involved in the killing of an elephant.
“Elephant is our heritage animal and has been given the highest protection under Wild Life Protection Act. The Ministry has taken cognizance of the incident and the matter has been taken up with the state govt for strict action against the poachers to ensure the protection of our wildlife heritage,” tweeted Yadav.
Elephant is our heritage animal and has been given the highest protection under WLP Act. The Ministry has taken cognisance of the incident and the matter has been taken up with the state govt for strict action against the poachers to ensure protection of our wildlife heritage. https://t.co/AIRqj7UNGQ
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) June 15, 2022
Yadav’s reaction came after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed his anguish over the incident. “The death of a wounded tusker who was shot by poachers in Athagarh forest is distressing for all wildlife enthusiasts. This is not just a one-off incident in Odisha,” read the tweet of Pradhan.
The 10-year-old elephant was rescued from the Narasinghpur forest range under the Athagarh forest division in Cuttack district. But it succumbed to its injuries on Tuesday despite being treated for a week.
