NILGIRIS : A male wild elephant calf that was abandoned by his mother at Maruthamalai Foothills near Coimbatore and shifted to Theppakadu elephant camp in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) on June 9 died due to an ulcer on Friday night.
The ulcer was found by the veterinarian team which conducted the postmortem on the four-month-old. Veterinary Assistant Surgeons K Rajesh Kumar and Ganesh Naduvattam held the postmortem in the presence of MTR Deputy Director P Arunkumar and representatives of an NGO.
“The animal did not show any symptoms until Friday afternoon. We usually fed lactogen to the animal and it often drank one to one-and-a-half litres. However, on Friday afternoon, it refused to drink even half a litre. The animal subsequently fell ill and we started providing treatment. However, the animal died at 9.30 on Friday night,” said a forest official.