Bhawanipatna (Odisha), Jun 3 (PTI) The carcass of a baby elephant has been found in Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary in Kalahandi district, three months after seven jumbos were found dead in the natural reserve, an official said.

The carcass was traced near Katingkuna area on Wednesday, Divisional Forest Officer (south) T Ashok Kumar said.

The 6-month-old calf had been separated from the herd for the past few days.

A veterinary team has been sent to the spot, located in an inaccessible area, to conduct a post-mortem examination and to collect the dead animals bone marrow for testing, said Chaitanya Sethi, the chief district veterinary officer.

In February, seven elephants were found dead at the sanctuary within 20 days.

Based on tests carried out at the Centre for Wildlife Health in the Odisha state capital, the DFO had said, the deaths were due to haemorrhage septicaemia, a bacterial disease.

The 2018 wildlife census report had said there were 17 elephants in the sanctuary, the DFO said.

A three-member central team had conducted a field assessment of the situation in February and provided guidance for wildlife protection.

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