A tusker was found dead in a forest area of the Sirumugai range in the Coimbatore Forest Division on Wednesday. The carcass was found in the Pethikuttai reserve forest where three elephants have already died this year.
A Forest Department patrol found the carcass around 11.30 a.m. District Forest Officer T.K. Ashok Kumar told The Hindu that the staff examined the carcass, which did not have any injury. The tusks of the elephant, aged between eight and 11, were intact, he said.
“After the recent death of elephants in the Pethikuttai reserve forest, the field staff were directed to conduct special patrols. The carcass was found during such a patrol on Wednesday. The cause of death will be known after an autopsy on Thursday,” he said.
The Pethikuttai reserve forest is spread over 2,000 hectares, and borders the storage area of the Bhavanisagar dam. Elephants from various elephant ranges in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve come to this forest in summer because of the availability of water.
