Karnataka: Professional gang behind elephant kills, reveals autopsy

Bengaluru: A day after two elephant carcasses were found in the Palar region of M.M. Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, a joint combing operation involving senior foresters from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has begun. The foresters are camping at Gopinatham village in Chamarajnagar district, the birthplace of forest brigand Veerappan, and will continue the operation on Wednesday.

A senior forest official confirmed to Deccan Chronicle that the postmortem reports indicate the involvement of a professional gang behind the crime. “Both elephants are shot from above and right into the cranium which is the softest part of the pachyderm’s head. While one elephant has been shot with a single bullet, the second has been shot twice. We have recovered the metal pieces in the elephants’ body and they are sent for ballistic examination at the Forensic Science Lab in Bengaluru.”

Read | Veerappan-like gang strikes, two elephants dead, tuskless

A list of habitual poachers in the region has been submitted to the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. On Tuesday, two officials from Tamil Nadu attended the postmortem and later joined the combing operation. “We are questioning the villagers living along Palar river. We are also inviting the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau for the investigation as it is handling a number of cases pertaining to ivory trade.”

Jumbo investigation

• The tusker deaths on the borders of Karnataka and TN has kicked off one of the largest join combing operations after the death of brigand Veerappan in 2004
• The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau of Chennai, Forensic Science Lab of Bengaluru and Centre for Stem Cell Science of Hyderabad are involved in the investigation
• The Palar region in M.M. Hills is on the borders of Karnataka and TN and has a large movement of elephants
• In the last five months, around 80 kg of ivory has been seized in different cases registered in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu