Poachers kill elephant, make away with tusks in Uttarakhand

Suspected poachers allegedly killed a male elephant in the Shivalik forests of Uttarakhand and made away with its twin tusks, officials said Monday.

Acting District Forest Officer Dharma Singh Meena said the 45-year-old tusker's body, which does not bear any external injury mark, is being sent for a post-mortem to ascertain how it was killed.

However, the removal of its tusks makes it look like a case of illegal poaching, the DFO said.

It appears poachers killed the tusker not far from the forest check-post in the Thano range of Dehradun forest division late Sunday evening and made away with its twin tusks, he said.

Forest and Special Task Force personnel have stepped up vigilance in the wake of the incident, he said.