Elephant calf dies of suspected viral infection

COIMBATORE: A calf elephant is suspected to have died of herpes virus infection in Coimbatore on Saturday.

The male elephant, barely two months old, was found dead by a team of front-line staff during a routine patrol in Sirumugai Forest Range in Coimbatore forest division around evening.

A post-mortem examination was carried out on Sunday morning by a team led by A Sukumar, forest veterinary officer, Coimbatore forest division. “The elephant was found starving.

The symptoms revealed that the animal had died of the viral infection; however, samples have to be tested at Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Uttar Pradesh (UP) to establish the reason for its death,” said an official. After a post-mortem examination, the carcass was buried in the spot.