A female elephant, aged between 25 and 30, was killed in a fight with another elephant in Kadambur Hills in Erode district, on Tuesday, August 29, 2023.
During a patrol, forest staff found the carcass at Makkampalayam Pirivu in the Kadambur Forest Range of the Sathyamangalam Division, and alerted senior officials. A team led by S. Sadasivam, wildlife veterinarian of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) carried out a postmortem examination and vital samples were taken for laboratory tests.
Officials said the State government has issued guidelines under the Elephant Death Audit Framework, and based on the rules for conducting postmortem examinations of elephants, there were three veterinarians, including one from the Forest Department, a member of an NGO, and a local body representative. The postmortem was conducted following the rules.
Veterinarians said that a brutal fight is believed to have taken place between the elephants, as there were severe injuries on the body of the dead elephant.
