TIRUPUR/COIMBATORE: Another young wild elephant has been electrocuted within a week in the Coimbatore forest division. A 15-year-old tusker is the latest to perish. It was found dead at a farmland in Odanthurai near Mettupalayam on Tuesday night.
Postmortem revealed an electric cable was entangled in one of the tusks, and there were burn marks on the trunk and a part of its shoulder, indicating it was electrocuted.
The body was found in an unmaintained Elephant Proof Trench (EPT) near the boundary of the Jackanari Forest.
"We have also noticed internal bleeding in the stomach and lung. The incident could have occurred on Tuesday night when the animal attempted to enter the farmland which was secured using a fence in which direct power supply was given by the landowner.
During the monthly checking carried out last month, the solar fence was not functioning, and the battery and the energiser were also empty and remained in faulty condition. The landowner could have given direct connection to the fence after our inspection to chase away wild animals," said Sasi, Range officer of Mettupalayam Forest.
A case has been registered against the landowner, Thirumalarajan, under the Wild Life (Protection) Act. He is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital due to chest pain.
Sources in the forest department said Thirumalairajan had informed it about the elephant death and then got himself hospitalised.
The organ samples of the dead elephant have been taken for histopathology and forensics analysis.
The postmortem was carried out by a team of veterinarians led by Coimbatore forest veterinary officer S Vennila.
Thirteen wild elephants died due to various reasons in the seven forest ranges of the Coimbatore forest division so far this year, said forest department sources. Only eight wild elephants had died in 2024.
A wild elephant died of electric shock at Kuppepalayam near Thondamuthur on October 23.
A senior official said that the figure of 13 deaths is not alarming as most of them were due to diseases, and the eight deaths reported are the lowest in a decade.
Meanwhile, the Gudalur forest department officials denied the claim of residents of Moolavayal that a farmer, Ramesh, died as he was upset after wild elephants damaged his banana plantation.
Gudalur forest range officer Radhakrishnan said 125 banana plants were damaged by the elephants and Rs 15,000 was paid as compensation to Ramesh's father Kangatharan.
Radhakrishnan trashed rumours that Ramesh had killed himself. "The news spreading on WhatsApp and social media that Ramesh ended his life after elephants repeatedly entered his grove is not true. In fact the animals entered only one time on October 26," he added.
