VELLORE: A wild male elephant was found dead in the adjoining forest areas bordering Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday. A forest department official said the 30-year-old tusker died of electrocution after it came in contact with an electric fence. Its carcass was found in the adjoining areas of Gudiyattam forest range.
A few locals spotted the dead elephant while they had taken cattle for grazing in the forest area on Tuesday morning and informed the forest personnel. Since the region where the carcass was found bordered both the states, a team of forest department personnel from Gudiyattam forest range and Chittoor range reached the spot and conducted an investigation.
Vellore collector, A Shanmuga Sundram visited the spot and held inquiries with the locals. Talking to reporters, Sundram said, “We have informed the locals not to erect electric fences illegally. And we would take action against those involve in erecting illegal electric fences.” A team of veterinarians performed spot postmortem and buried the pachyderm in the region. Further investigation is on.
It may be noted that the Ambur forest range personnel were felicitated by locals for having sent a herd of elephants back into the forest after the tuskers strayed into Mittalam, Panderappali, Machampattu, Chinnavarigam, Paalar villages and bulldozed and destroyed crops such as plantain trees, sugarcane, etc.
The forest personnel — Rajkumar, Elango, rangers and forest guards — tirelessly engaged in sending away the herd for over five days in Ambur region.