Carcass of a female elephant was found in Pungichua forest in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, officials said Monday.
The highly decomposed carcass of the pachyderm, aged around 11 years, was spotted on Sunday by locals who informed the forest officials, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Baripada, Swayam Mallick said.
The DFO along with other officials and a veterinary surgeon visited the site to ascertain the cause of the death.
An autopsy was conducted and the carcass was buried under the supervision of the officials, the DFO said adding that the exact cause of the death of the animal will be known after the autopsy report is received.