Tusker found dead with bullet injuries
A post mortem on Monday by veterinarians revealed that the elephant, aged around 15 years, was shot dead by miscreants.
Forest department staff near the carcass of the gunned down elephant
COIMBATORE: A wild tusker was found gunned down by miscreants in Denkanikottai in Krishnagiri.
As its tusks remained intact, the officials of the forest department believe that the animal was not killed by poachers. The elephant was spotted by a team of front line staff, who were on patrol in Jawalagiri forest area on Sunday.
A post mortem on Monday by veterinarians revealed that the elephant, aged around 15 years, was shot dead by miscreants. Both its tusks were retrieved and the carcass was buried in the same spot. A case was filed under the Wildlife Protection Act and special teams of the forest department have launched a probe.
K Karthikeyani, Wildlife Warden, Hosur Forest Division said that investigations are underway to trace out those killed by the elephant. “Action will be taken against the offenders,” she said.
Killing of elephants has become a routine affair in Denkanikottai and its surrounding forest area as atleast nine jumbos have been gunned down since the year 2012. Two tuskers were killed by poaching gangs in 2012 and 2013 in Denkanikottai. Two more elephants were killed for their tusks in 2014 in the same area.
In January, 2017, four farmers shot dead a wild elephant that strayed into their farmland in Thally and in November, 2020, a ten year old female elephant was killed in Jawalagiri forest area. In the months of January and March in 2022, two elephants were killed and after a gap, a tusker was shot down in this latest incident on Sunday.
Besides the large number of resident elephant population, over 100 elephants have arrived from Karnataka into the forest areas under Hosur forest division with the onset of migratory season.