A male elephant without tusks was today found shot dead in Khanpur forest range near the
Rajaji Park here, but police ruled out poaching.
The body of 40-year-old 'Makhna' elephant (specimens without tusks) was found at Khanpur range in Dhaluwala area. The post-mortem report revealed that the elephant was shot dead from a close range, police said. However, Divisional Forest Officer of Haridwar R B Pathak ruled out any possibility of poaching saying the elephant did not have tusks. After the recovery of the body, an alert was sounded in the park area.