Male elephant killed in infighting in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

UDHAGAMANDALAM: A tusker was found dead in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the Nilgiris on Friday evening.
The carcass of the male elephant was first spotted by forest watchers during a routine patrol near Anaikatti in Sigur area. They immediately alerted senior forest officers.
On Saturday, forest veterinarians performed a postmortem on the spot. Balaji, forest range officer, said tusker was around 35 years old. “An injury was found on its head. Preliminary autopsy report suggested that the injury was sustained during an infighting with another tusker.”
He said samples of the vital organs were collected from the carcass for lab tests. “The tusks were recovered and handed over to the forest department. As the area is known for vulture population, the carcass was left in the open for them to prey on,” the officer said.