COIMBATORE: A wild female elephant calf, aged between three and five years, died after a palmyra seed that it accidentally swallowed got stuck in its throat, at Thekkampatti in the Mettupalayam forest on Monday. The animal was unable to consume fodder for more than a week, resulting in severe deterioration of its health.
The seed was found only during a necropsy conducted by a team of veterinarians. During the procedure, the forest department team also noticed that the animal’s small and large intestines had collapsed, which could have further affected its ability to consume food.
“The collapse of the intestines can occur naturally in elephants. The elephant was severely emaciated, with its skin tightly clinging to its bones due to lack of food.
We suspect that the mother elephant could have left the calf following its deteriorating health condition, as the deceased elephant was only three to five years old,” said a forest official.
The animal fell ill and was unable to stand on its own around 3 pm on Monday at Thekkampatti slope in the Mettupalayam forest range.
A team of veterinarians began providing treatment by providing IV injection to improve her health around 5 pm, but the calf died around 7 pm.