A 15-year-old pregnant elephant was found dead in the Singara beat of the Singara Forest Range on Monday evening. A post-mortem was performed on the carcass on Tuesday.
Deputy Director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), Buffer Zone, L.C.S. Srikanth, said the autopsy revealed that the animal had suffered a fall after trudging through unsteady ground and was unable to extricate itself. The autopsy had also revealed that the elephant was carrying a 15-month-old foetus. “Apart from this, the animal also seems to have been attacked by a tiger while it was stuck, which could have been another causative factor in its death,” said Mr. Srikanth.
Veterinary Assistant Surgeon from Theppakadu performed the post-mortem on the elephant, which was attended by top Forest Department officials from MTR. After it was ascertained that the animal died of natural causes, the carcass was left to scavengers.
“There is a vulture population in the region as well as other scavengers like striped hyenas which depend on wild animal carcasses to survive. So we have left the carcass out in the open for them to feast on,” said Mr. Srikanth.
