NILGIRIS: A 15-year-old wild male elephant was found dead due to suspected electrocution in the Masinagudi forest range of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve on Wednesday.
Sources said field staff on patrol found the carcass in the Avarahalla Reserve Forest area and immediately alerted Masinagudi Forest Range Officer V Rajan. Subsequently, Veterinary Assistant Surgeon K Rajesh Kumar from Theppakadu was engaged to conduct the postmortem.
Deputy Director M G Ganesan said that an electric fence was located about 20 feet from the carcass and the fence covered the nearby agricultural land. "We suspect the animal may have died due to electrocution. However, there were no visible burn marks on the trunk or other external body parts. To ascertain the exact cause of death, samples of internal organs will be sent to the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) for analysis," he said.
"Initially, we suspected two possible causes — anthrax infection and electrocution — based on the animal's sternal recumbent position. After a detailed examination, anthrax has been ruled out, and electrocution is now strongly suspected. The elephant is believed to have died three to four days ago," he added.
Sources also noted that the elephant frequently visited the area to drink water from a nearby river, which falls within an identified elephant corridor in the reserve. Forest officials have registered a case.