Udhagamandalam: An injured tusker that was found lying on a forest road in Cherambadi forest range in Pandalur taluk in the Nilgiris on Tuesday, died on Wednesday without responding to treatment.
The animal, aged around 12 years, died around 1.30pm, local veterinarians who treated it, said.
Senior forest veterinarian NS Manoharan, who led a team of veterinarians to conduct an autopsy, said the left lower jaw of the elephant was badly fractured. “We found the molar teeth of the animal dislodged and the oral cavity severely infected. Formation of pus in the oral cavity was found up to the skull,” he told TOI. Veterinarians from the animal husbandry and animal disease investigation unit were part of the post mortem team, besides forest department officials.
According to Manoharan, the animal must have suffered injuries about 10 days ago. “Infighting was ruled out after inspecting the nature of the injuries,” he said.
Meanwhile, wildlife activists said the elephant might have suffered injuries from a country bomb. “A country bomb planted somewhere close to the forest area might have gone off while the elephant was very close to the spot. It is a very serious issue and the forest department should investigate it,” an activist said.