COIMBATORE: A female elephant is battling for life at Vellapathy in Boluvampatti forest range.
A team of forest staff, during their perambulation, found the pachyderm lying on the ground at Boluvampatti block II forest on Saturday afternoon.
The spot is 4 km away from the reserve forest boundary.
The Forest Veterinary Officer A Sugumar along with veterinary doctor Prabu and the staffers at the veterinary dispensary (Vadavalli) of animal husbandry department have started treatment for the animal.
D Venkatesh, District Forest Officer of Coimbatore forest division, said: "The animal is extremely weak and suffering from lateral recumbency (the condition of leaning).
The doctors have given 21 bottles of intravenous fluids, antibiotics, vitamins and minerals to the pachyderm after it was found to be in debilitated and dehydrated condition.
"The animal is being monitored by the team of forest staff," Venkatesh said
The condition of the animal will be known only on Sunday morning when the vets visit the spot for checking the animal's health.
It is worth mentioning that a total of 16 elephants have died in the Coimbatore forest division in the last seven months, out of which four pachyderms died without responding to the treatment.
The state forest department has been facing the flak due to the increasing death of wild elephants, especially in the Sirumugai forest range.
Last month, the state government has formed an expert committee to investigate the cause of the death of wild elephants.