Baripada (Odisha), Feb 9 (PTI) A suspected inter-state gang of poachers killed an elephant and removed its tusks in the Similipal National Park in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, a forest official said on Thursday.

The carcass of an elephant was found on the hilltop under the Pithabata range in Gopinathpur forest, Similipal Tiger Reserve Deputy Director Dr Samrat Gowda said.

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"It is suspected that an inter-state gang of poachers killed the elephant. Locals spotted the carcass of the male jumbo with its two tusks removed and informed us. Accordingly, a team of forest personnel visited the spot on Wednesday afternoon and recovered the carcass," he said.

Similar incidents occurred in Arunachal Pradesh recently, Gowda said.

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During the last one month, at least three elephants were killed in the Similipal National Park, while forest personnel seized tiger and leopard skin, official sources said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)