Bandhavgarh elephants died after eating infected kodo millets: Toxicology report

Ten elephants who died near Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, last week were killed on account of eating a surfeit of fungus-infected kodo millet, a toxicology report confirmed on Monday, ruling out foul play in the deaths that shocked the country and raised serious questions about the safety of pachyderms.

- Shruti Tomar and Jayashree Nandi

BHOPAL/NEW DELHI: Ten elephants who died near Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, last week were killed on account of eating a surfeit of fungus-infected kodo millet, a toxicology report confirmed on Monday, ruling out foul play in the deaths that shocked the country and raised serious questions about the safety of pachyderms. The examination, conducted by the ICAR Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, detected cyclopiazonic acid, a toxic substance produced by some fungi, in all samples collected from the organs of the 10 elephants.

"Cyclopiazonic acid found in fungal-infected kodo millets was detected in all samples of lever, kidney, spleen, heart, lung, stomach, and intestinal contents with concentration above 100ppb (parts per billion). The result indicates that elephants might have eaten large quantities of kodo," said L Krishnamoorthy, head of the state probe committee set up to investigate the deaths and additional principal chief conservator of forest (APPCF).

The elephants, part of a herd of 13, were killed between October 29 and October 31, in the reserve in Umaria district, Madhya Pradesh. The deaths triggered consternation across the country, with several people and experts expressing concerns that the elephants were poisoned.