Elephant calf found dead in Karamadai forest range

COIMBATORE: An elephant calf was found dead in Karamadai forest range in Coimbatore on Monday.

A team of frontline staff from the forest department, who were on a routine patrol, spotted the carcass of the animal in an area identified as ‘manarpirivu’ in Karamadai forest range around morning.

The elephant calf is expected to be aged between three to four years. Its carcass remained slightly decomposed suggesting that the elephant would have died a few days ago itself.

A post mortem has been done and further examination is underway to ascertain the reason for its death. It is likely to have died of microbial infection.

The bone marrow samples were collected in ice packs to be sent to a veterinary research institute in Uttar Pradesh to check for herpes virus infection.

“Also, the skin and bone samples were collected for the DNA profiling analysis,” said an official.

With this, as many as ten elephants have died so far this year in the Coimbatore forest division.

Apart from natural causes, elephants have also died of unnatural reasons like electrocution and through biting of country bombs (avuttukai), which explode in their mouth resulting in their death.