Another tusker dies a day after sedative shot in Coimbatore
COIMBATORE: An adult male elephant, which was tranquilised by the Kerala forest veterinarians for treating the injuries on its right foreleg, died on Saturday near Gopanari close to Karamadai forest range in Coimbatore division.
Forest officials said the elephant, estimated to be about 40-years-old, and had suffered during an attack by another tusker about a month ago. In the last five days, it is the third elephant to fall dead in Coimbatore district after a captured tusker died at the elephant camp and a speeding train mowed down another elephant.
On Friday evening, the forest department veterinarians in Kerala had darted a tranquiliser shot on the elephant at Sundapatti near the Tamil Nadu border. But the elephant crossed the Bhavani river, entered Tamil Nadu and collapsed on Saturday morning.
“Our anti-poaching watchers spotted the elephant on Friday evening and found it to be normal. But we received a message from a tribal saying that an elephant was lying dead. It was a 40-year-old male elephant with deep injuries on its leg and stomach. After a post-mortem, the elephant was buried at Gopanari,” said the Coimbatore DFO-in-charge A.Periyasamy. Eom.
The tusker had suffered injury on its right front leg, probably suffered during a bullfight between two tuskers a few months back inside the Kerala forest limit, the DFO said.
