BHAGWATHI (UTTARA KANNADA) : A tusker was found dead near Samrani village in Bhagvathi range in Haliyal forest division under mysterious circumstances. The Forest Department suspects that the jumbo died of drowning.
Forest Department staff on duty found the large tusker’s carcass floating on a water body on Monday evening and alerted senior officials who rushed to the spot. An autopsy was conducted in their presence.
The elephant was found in shallow waters of Bommanahalli backwaters and is said to have died on Sunday, but it came to light on Monday evening.
The doctors who conducted the postmortem also suspect that the death was due to drowning. “Even if we suspect any mischief, there is not a single injury on the elephant’s carcass. Even the tusks are intact,” Prashanth Kumar, DCF, Haliyal told TNIE.