MADURAI
Veterinarians declared that the elephant which was found dead in Meghamalai Wildlife Sanctuary about 15 km from Cumbum was electrocuted when it came into contact with a high tension wire. The tusks were later removed (for illegal ivory trade), according to the postmortem conducted on Wednesday.
The veterinarians – K. Selvam and N. Kalaivanan – said the male elephant was roughly 17 years old. “The carcass was about a week old. When an elephant dies, the gums become loose, making it easy to remove tusks by just using brute force,” said Dr. Selvam.
The ivory smugglers filled the tusk cavity with mud and grass to avoid suspicion. The skull of the elephant would be preserved so that the tusks could be matched to the skull cavity, said S. Kalanithi, Wildlife Warden, Meghamalai Wildlife Sanctuary.
The veterinarians also took tissue samples from the elephant’s trunk and soles to ascertain which part of its body came into contact with the electricity line.
On Monday, two persons – R. Ganga (37) and A. Prabhu (34) – were arrested by Kerala Forest department in a peripheral area of Kumily town for illegal possession of ivory, weighing 9.22 kg, which is believed to have been removed from the carcass of the electrocuted elephant.
D. Dinesh, Forest Range Officer (Cumbum East), said a fresh case was registered by Tamil Nadu Forest department against the two on Wednesday. “We have initiated steps to take them into our custody for further interrogation,” he said.
The 22KV lines, which originate at Vannathiparai Substation and end at KK Patti Feeder, are precariously laid through Vannathiparai Reserve Forest in Venniyar section of Cumbum East range.
In the past three months alone, the Forest department has recorded six elephant deaths due to electrocution in Venniyar section.
B. Balaji, Executive Engineer, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco), said the department was yet to suspend power transmission through the lines.
“On December 5, our staff had visited the particular area for a regular inspection. We will soon begin raising the height of the towers to prevent further (elephant) deaths. We will also suspend power supply through this area by Thursday,” he said.
