VELLORE: The bodies of three elephants, including a calf, were found in a decomposed state in the private Bhaimala forest, under the Pernambut forest range in Vellore, on Thursday during a patrol by forest department field staff.
District Forest Officer TK Ashok Kumar told TNIE that all three elephants were found near a pond, with one elephant, aged approximately two to three years, found lying inside it. Another, aged about four to five years, was located 10 metres away from the pond, while the third elephant, aged around six to seven years, was found 15 metres away.
He added that the elephants are believed to have died a few weeks ago. The exact cause of death can be determined only after experts, including veterinarians, examine the carcasses on Friday, the DFO said.
Earlier last week, a six-year-old elephant was found dead in the Sinthaganavai forest area near TT Motur, which also falls under the Pernambut forest range. About 20 days before that, another elephant was found dead in the same forest region, reduced to skeletal remains.
However, the DFO clarified that there is no connection between the earlier elephant deaths and the latest incident. “They occurred in different locations, and this case appears to be peculiar,” he said.
Officials said the private forest is adjacent to the Kondapalli Reserved Forests of the Vellore division and is also close to the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh, resulting in regular movement of elephants between Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The site of occurrence is about four to five kilometres from the interstate boundary.
A special team headed by Villupuram Chief Conservator of Forests, A Periyasamy, and Forest Veterinary Officer of Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Dr Sridhar, has been constituted and rushed to the spot to carry out the investigation. A team of officials from the Advanced Institute of Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) has also been requested to assist the Special Investigation Team in the collection of forensic samples.
As the area is close to the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary, where interstate movement of elephants is common, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force), Andhra Pradesh, has been requested to assist in the interstate investigation. The Conservator of Forests, Anantapur, has also deputed a team of officials from the Chittoor division to jointly investigate the matter. "All possible samples will be collected and analysed to ascertain the cause of death," an official release from the Chief Wildlife Warden, Tamil Nadu, said.