Electrocuted elephant’s carcass exhumed for autopsy

In a three-hour-long endeavour, forest officials on Tuesday exhumed the carcass of an elephant that was recently electrocuted and buried clandestinely at Kadur village in Rayakottai. 

The carcass was autopsied to investigate the cause of death. Three persons were remanded in custody under the provisions of the Wild Life Protection Act.

The four-year-old male elephant was electrocuted after coming into contact with an illegally electrified fence erected around a paddy field in Kadur last week. The carcass was secretly buried by the farm owner, Ellappan, with the help of his sons. The incident occurred on November 15 but came to light only on Monday. 

According to official sources, the Forest Department received a tip-off on Sunday, following which a search was carried out in the area by a team led by the Forest Range Officer of Rayakottai, Parthasarathy. The burial site was identified on Monday after a confession by the farmer.

Exhumation of the carcass was scheduled for Tuesday as per protocol. Speaking to The Hindu, K. Karthikeyani, Wildlife Warden, Hosur Forest Division, said a veterinary surgeon from Coimbatore was summoned for the exhumation and autopsy. The carcass was found within 2 ft to 3 ft and was exhumed for autopsy. The trunk of the elephant was the point of entry and the exit through a foot, Ms. Karthikeyani said. The autopsy was carried out in the presence of the Assistant Conservator of Forest, a village representative, a representative from Kenneth Anderson Nature Society (for NGO representative). 

Ellappan and his sons Muniraj and Subramani were remanded in custody on Tuesday night. 

There is a reserve fund already available with the District Forest Officer for crop depredation within the fringes of forests.  “Farmers residing within a radius of 500 m to 1 km of the forests are urged to inform the Forest Department of any elephant movement, instead of indulging in such illegal protective reinforcements for crops,” said Ms. Karthikeyani.  “In the last 6 months, there have been no delays in the disbursements of compensation for crop depredation from negative interaction between humans and elephants, from the reserve fund, and farmers should not resort to such illegal activities. They end up losing more out of such actions,” she added.