Another wild tusker found dead in Krishnagiri

Krishnagiri: The district Forest officials on Thursday recovered the carcass of a wild tusker found dead during the combing operation here in the Ayyur forest range.

According to Forest department officials, the animal had died of a certain illness despite best efforts to save the jumbo, since it was found staying helplessly in the Ayyur forest region in a diseased state.

While food and water mixed with the medicine was supplied to the tusker, as the pachyderm was very weak and unable to move from the place from where it was spotted by the Forest staffs during their routine combing operation, the carcass was buried after a spot post-mortem.

“The exact reason for its death will be known after the viscera test reports are received,” said veterinarians who conducted the autopsy.

They also confirmed the death was because of illness and not due to poaching, as reported in sections of the media, in Ullibenda village in Jawalagiri forest range, 40-km from Hosur in Krishnagiri district.

The last similar incident of an elephant death in the district was reported on January 10, when a decomposed carcass of a female elephant was recovered from a farmland in Ullibenda village with bullet injuries in its skull.

That was also thought to be a victim of poaching, but turned out to be handiwork of farmers to protect their ‘ragi’ crop. So far, 19 jumbos have died including the latest one on Thursday in Krishnagiri district since 2013.

One of those 19 elephants had died on stepping on an illegal electric fence set up by a farmer, while speeding trains mowed two down.
Another pachyderm died in a road accident while crossing the busy Chennai-

Bengaluru national highway, two others electrocuted after the jumbos came in contact with the live wires of the state power utility, Tangedco, and the others due to illness, pointed out official.