Liver disease could have claimed the life of the adult female elephant that died without responding to treatment in a private land at Periya Thadagam near Coimbatore on Monday evening, suspects the Forest Department. District Forest Officer T.K. Ashok Kumar said the elephant’s liver was found congested during the post-mortem examination.
Veterinarian Rajesh Kumar of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), and Prabhu, a government veterinarian, autopsied the carcass on Tuesday.
“The veterinarians said the elephant had liver fibrosis apart from other difficulties due to ageing. The animal was aged around 45. The exact cause of death could be ascertained after examining the samples collected during the post-mortem,” he said. The elephant was found collapsed in a private land at Periya Thadagam on Sunday. Though immediate treatment was given to revive the animal, it could not move. The elephant died without responding to treatment around 6 p.m. on Monday.
Following the autopsy on Tuesday, the carcass of the elephant was buried in a corner of the private land after getting the consent from its owner.
