The Forest Department’s wait to conduct post-mortem on the elephant calf at Kottanahalli in Sakleshpur did not end on Thursday. As the herd of 12 elephants refused to move out of the place, where the newborn was found dead, till late in the evening on Thursday, the officials decided to wait for another day.
Following its death, 12 wild elephants gathered on Wednesday. The mother has not moved away from the calf.
A few firecrackers were burst on Thursday morning, but the herd did not move out. The mother had dragged the carcass for about a km into the forest and remained close to the carcass. The herd is also nearby.
The officials are expecting the elephants to move out once the carcass starts decaying. Sivaram Babu, Deputy Conservator of Forests, said: “If we make an effort to take away the carcass, the herd may go violent. We will wait till the herd leaves the place.”
Meanwhile, local people have demanded that the government take measures to put an end to the man-animal conflict in the taluk permanently. H.K. Kumaraswamy, MLA, said he would put pressure on the Chief Minister to hold a meeting to discuss the problem.
