26 July 2022

Orissa high court on Monday asked the state’s chief wildlife warden to appear before it via video conferencing on August 8 and file a response over rising elephant deaths.

This development comes a day after the Special Task Force of Odisha police recovered burnt bones and ashes of elephants from two different places under Dhama Forest range of Sambalpur district bringing the forest department staff under the scanner again.

The HC direction to chief wildlife warden Shashi Paul came in response to a PIL filed by a Cuttack-based wildlife activist seeking amendment to the Wildlife (Protection Act), 1972 on the lines of the Wildlife (Protection) (Assam Amendment) Act 2009 to add more teeth to wildlife crime control efforts.

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