A male elephant's skeleton, with both the tusks missing, was found within the limits of Boluvampatti forest range of Coimbatore Forest Division on Sunday.
The skeleton of the tusker was found in Poondi south beat of Vellapathy section of Boluvampatti forest range.
Field staff of the Forest Department, who went to the forest for a patrol on Sunday, spotted the skeleton and informed higher officials.
District Forest Officer T.K. Ashok Kumar said the skeleton is presumed to be of a male elephant aged between 25 and 30. The elephant could have died around 40 days ago and the carcass was scavenged by animals including wild boar, he said.
The DFO said the tusks of the elephant were missing from the skeleton.
The tusks could have been removed and taken away by someone who spotted the elephant after it had died, he said.
According to him, the base of the tusks in the skeleton did not appear as if they were axed or cut using a saw - the method done by poachers.
The Department has registered a case under Sections of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and launched investigation.
