Two wild elephants die in TN's Coimbatore district

Coimbatore, Oct 23 (IANS) In two separate incidents within a day, two wild elephants - a male tusker near Thondamuthur and a female elephant in the Pollachi range - died in Coimbatore district, officials from the Forest Department confirmed on Thursday.

In the first incident, a 25-year-old male elephant was electrocuted early Thursday at Kuppepalayam village near Thondamuthur.

According to Forest Department sources, the tusker died after pushing down an electric post, causing a live power line to fall on it. The carcass was found in an agricultural field adjoining a public road around 5 a.m. The owner of the farmland noticed the elephant and immediately alerted the forest staff attached to the Boluvampatti range.

Upon inspection, the officials found that the electric post, which had been recently installed on the roadside, had collapsed into the field, with one of the live cables trapped beneath the elephant’s body.

The location of the incident is about 500 metres from the Boluvampatti Block II reserve forest under the Coimbatore Forest Division. Senior officials, including the District Forest Officer, reached the spot soon after being informed.

The electricity supply to the area was disconnected to ensure safety, and arrangements were made to conduct a post-mortem examination on the carcass.

Preliminary assessment indicated that the animal’s death was instantaneous due to electrocution.

In another tragic incident, a female elephant, estimated to be around 25 to 30 years old, died within the limits of the Pollachi range under the Anamalai Tiger Reserve on Wednesday.

Field staff on routine patrol in the Oomandi forest area of the Paruthiyur beat found the elephant in a weak and ailing condition in the morning hours. Veterinary teams from the Forest Department rushed to the spot and tried to revive the elephant, but it succumbed around 1.30 p.m.

A post-mortem was carried out later in the evening, and veterinarians suspected that the animal had died of illness rather than any external injury.

Forest officials said both deaths would be investigated in detail, particularly the electrocution case near Thondamuthur, to determine if there was any lapse in electrical safety measures near the forest periphery.

--IANS

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