NILGIRIS: A 20-year-old female wild elephant died due to multiple organ failure in the Sigur Forest Range of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) on Monday.
The post-mortem examination was conducted on Tuesday morning by Theppakkadu Veterinary Assistant Surgeon K Rajesh Kumar. The procedure was carried out in the presence of officials from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB).
V Rajan, in charge forest range officer of the Sigur Forest Range, said the elephant is believed to have fallen ill due to an underlying disease, which led to the failure of vital organs, including kidneys and liver.
"We will send tissue samples from the affected organs to the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) in Chennai to determine the exact cause of death," Rajan said.
Meanwhile, forest officials have been monitoring an elephant calf that has sustained a head injury and was seen moving with its mother and herd along the Moyar Road over the past few days.
Officials said they have been unable to approach the calf to provide treatment because it remains under the close protection of its mother and the herd.
"The injury may have been caused during an attempted attack by a tiger, which likely targeted the calf as prey. However, the mother elephant appears to have successfully defended it. We expect the wound to heal naturally over the coming weeks," a forest official said.
In a separate development, a video showing an elephant walking on a steep hillside near Coonoor, where the Highways Department recently implemented soil-nailing technology to prevent landslides along the Mettupalayam-Coonoor Road, has gone viral on social media.
Following the video's circulation, the Forest Department has advised motorists travelling through the area to remain alert and exercise caution due to possible elephant movement.