Sambalpur: An injured tusker, reportedly shot in its front left leg about a week ago, died in a forest in Rairakhol division on Sunday. It had allegedly struggled to walk for eight days, limping through the forest. Locals said they had informed authorities about the injured animal, but it allegedly did not receive timely treatment. They raised concerns over negligence in rescue efforts and medical intervention.Rairakhol assistant conservator of forests Arnab Samanta Ray said teams from Angul, Keonjhar and Deogarh reached the area on Sunday to tranquilise the tusker. “However, by the time the teams reached the area, the tusker had died,” he said. Ray said two forest department teams had been searching for the elephant with the help of drones to facilitate its rescue and treatment. A veterinary team is conducting a post-mortem to establish the cause of death and determine extent of its injuries.