The carcass of a female elephant was found in the deep forest of the Western Ghats near Pilavakkal dam in Watrap on Wednesday.
The cause of the death of the pachyderm was not immediately known. “It looks like a natural death,” said Conservator of Forests (Madurai Circle) Nihar Ranjan, who holds additional charge of Virudhunagar Circle.
He said that the elephant, aged over 15 years, could have died around a week ago. The carcass was decomposed and hence post-mortem could not be conducted.
S.D. Selvaram Raja, president of Animal Care Trust, said that the deep pit near the elephant indicated that the jumbo could have struggled to get back on its feet. Two small tusks of the elephant were handed over to the forest officials, he added.
