A juvenile female wild elephant was found dead in a private estate in Manombolly Forest Range on Tuesday. The death, the Forest Department surmised, had occurred due to an apparent fall down a slope.
Postmortem conducted by A. Sukumar, Forest Veterinary Officer, Coimbatore, and E. Vijayaragavan, Forest Veterinary Assistant Surgeon, Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Pollachi, indicated that the elephant had died 36 to 48 hours earlier.
Scratch injuries and mild lacerated wounds were noticed on the left lateral abdominal regions, knee joints and hind limbs. Severe congestion was detected in the heart, kidneys and lungs. The tushes were recovered and internal organ samples were taken for histopathological examination to establish the cause of illness, a statement issued by the Forest Department said.
The elephant had died after falling down a 15-metre riverside deep slope of private pocket shola forest, due to primary illness of acute nephritis. The sternal recumbency had resulted in in pulmonary-cardiac failure, shock and death, according to the official statement by the Forest Department on the cause of death.
Published - February 11, 2025 08:06 pm IST
