COIMBATORE: The wild elephant Rolex, which had been relocated to the Manthirimattam forest in Ulanthy forest range in Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), died in a fall on Wednesday evening.
Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra confirmed to TNIE that the 40-year-old jumbo, which was grazing and drinking well, died in an accidental fall while walking. The fall was seen by team members who approached it and found that it had died.
"The site will be assessed by senior officials on Thursday when the postmortem is carried out. We had been tracking the animal through GPS. It was moving through the thick forest and was well settled," said Dogra. The elephant had been fitted with a radio collar after being released in the forest.
Rolex was captured on October 17 after it had killed three people and habitually raided crops in the surroundings of Devarayapuram in Boluvampatti forest range in Coimbatore forest division. It was lodged in a kraal (wooden enclosure) for 25 days before being released in the Manthirimattam forest under the watchful eyes of staff.
This is the second death within a week of a relocated elephant in the state due to an accidental fall. The 30-year-old jumbo Radhakrishnan, which killed 12 people in the surroundings of O Valley, died after being relocated to Kothayar in Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR). It had suffered multiple skull fractures after falling from a 15-foot high slippery rock.