Coimbatore: Forest department have launched a search for a wild elephant in the Madhukkarai forest range in Coimbatore division close to the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border that allegedly suffered a bullet injury on one of its legs.
A forest source said that a well grown adult male elephant with a single tusk was found near the Chinnampathy beat in the Madhukkarai forest range a few weeks ago. It was struggling to walk and had suffered an injury likely to be caused by a gun bullet. Efforts to capture the elephant to treat it failed.“We suspect that the elephant could have escaped from poachers in the neighboring Kerala forest and entered the Madhukkarai range in Coimbatore forest division,” said forest sources. Some tribals sighted the elephant last week.Mr. D. Venkatesh told the DC, “so far, I haven’t received such information from the range officer. A team of AP watchers will be deployed in additional patrolling for the elephant, he said.
