NILGIRIS: A female elephant aged 52 years died due to age-related ailments at Segur forest range in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) on Wednesday. After noticing the carcass on Wednesday morning, the front-line staff of Segur forest range informed the authorities concerned.
Veterinary assistant surgeon K Rajesh Kumar carried out the postmortem in the presence of villagers.
Representatives of an NGO were also present on the spot when the carcass was being examined.
According to sources, the animal’s stomach was empty, indicating that it did not take food for quite some time.“We suspect that the animal died due to its age. It was unable to walk or consume grass. This could have resulted in its death. The animal could have died some 10 days ago, and most parts of the body were in a decomposed condition,” said a forest official.
Samples of the organs were taken from the animal, and they will be sent for analysis to find out the exact cause of death. The carcass was left in the forest area for white-rumped vultures to feed on.
Jumbo was not able to walk: Forest staff
Forest officials said the elephant was unable to walk or consume grass. “This could have resulted in its death. Samples of the organs will be sent for analysis to find out the exact cause of death. The carcass was left in the forest for vultures to feed on.