An elephant and its calf were found dead in the Cumbum East forest range, part of Meghamalai division, on Monday.
S. Kalanithi, Wildlife Warden, Meghamalai, said a 25-year-old elephant and her two-year-old calf were electrocuted near Venniyar Estate in the Cumbum area.
“Post-mortem reports show that the elephants died 15-20 days ago. A low-lying electrical grid line passes through this area. When the elephants came in contact with the line they were immediately electrocuted,” he said.
Officials said they were not aware of the death because the incident happened deep inside the forest.
The postmortem took nearly 10 hours. The Wildlife Warden said the Forest Department would write to the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation to ensure that power lines were laid carefully in protected areas.