<p>The carcasses were yesterday recovered near the bank of Palpala river flowing through the core area of Similipal National Park, they said. "Preliminary investigation revealed the elephants were killed by poisoning at the salt pit," field director of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), Hari Shankar Upadhay said.<br /><br />Though there were salt pits set by forest workers in the core area, the jumbos might have consumed salted mud at pits suspected to have been dug by poachers, he said, adding that poachers failed to remove the tusks. The jumbos are believed to be about 15 years old, he said. Postmortem were conducted on the carcasses. "We will be able to tell the exact cause of death after getting the autopsy report," he said.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the forensic team of state police rushed to Dhuduruchampa and Pithabata ranges to monitor the situation. The incident comes after the killing of 10 jumbos at Similipal forests last year. While NGOs alleged that at least 13 elephants were killed by poachers last year, a central team deputed by ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) confirmed that 10 jumbos were killed in April, 2010.<br /><br />Similipal forest which housed 551 elephants had virtually emerged as the killing fields of the big animals, wildlife activist Biswajit Mohanty alleged in a letter to Union Environment minister Jairam Ramesh. Holding state government officials responsible for the spurt in elephant killings, he said that NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) which was set up in July, 2010, was "not functioning at the STR."<br /><br />"The future of Similipal's tigers, elephants and other wildlife hangs in precarious balance and I am sure the world is watching how MoEF responds to this crisis," Mohanty said in his letter.</p>
<p>The carcasses were yesterday recovered near the bank of Palpala river flowing through the core area of Similipal National Park, they said. "Preliminary investigation revealed the elephants were killed by poisoning at the salt pit," field director of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), Hari Shankar Upadhay said.<br /><br />Though there were salt pits set by forest workers in the core area, the jumbos might have consumed salted mud at pits suspected to have been dug by poachers, he said, adding that poachers failed to remove the tusks. The jumbos are believed to be about 15 years old, he said. Postmortem were conducted on the carcasses. "We will be able to tell the exact cause of death after getting the autopsy report," he said.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the forensic team of state police rushed to Dhuduruchampa and Pithabata ranges to monitor the situation. The incident comes after the killing of 10 jumbos at Similipal forests last year. While NGOs alleged that at least 13 elephants were killed by poachers last year, a central team deputed by ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) confirmed that 10 jumbos were killed in April, 2010.<br /><br />Similipal forest which housed 551 elephants had virtually emerged as the killing fields of the big animals, wildlife activist Biswajit Mohanty alleged in a letter to Union Environment minister Jairam Ramesh. Holding state government officials responsible for the spurt in elephant killings, he said that NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) which was set up in July, 2010, was "not functioning at the STR."<br /><br />"The future of Similipal's tigers, elephants and other wildlife hangs in precarious balance and I am sure the world is watching how MoEF responds to this crisis," Mohanty said in his letter.</p>