Two elephants found dead in lake close to Bannerghatta National Park Bengaluru

Bengaluru: In a disturbing incident in Bannerghatta National Park, two female elephant carcasses were found at a lake but the exact cause of the death will be known after the necropsy which will be conducted on Sunday. However, preliminary investigations by forest officials suspect that the elephants might have been electrocuted and died before falling into the lake.

Disclosing this to Deccan Chronicle, Deputy Conservator of Forest Prashanth said that they came across two elephant carcasses floating in water at a lake at Kodihalli forest close to Bannerghatta National Park. The estimated age of the dead elephants will be ascertained after the necropsy of the carcasses.

After forest officials learnt about the incident, they transported the carcasses through a coracle for a closer observation and observed that there were no bullet injuries on the carcasses to rule out poaching incident.

An examination of the nearby area by forest officials tracked down snapped wire live and power from the live wire was leading to grounding in the area leading to suspicion that electrocution had killed the two jumbos. A forest officer said that “we suspect but necropsy on the carcasses will reveal the exact cause of the death.”

To make their suspicion stronger, forest officials also found the electric poles in the vicinity were lesser in height and elephants could reach the wire easily through its trunk to get electrocuted.

To bring the carcasses of the jumbos out of the lake, forest officials will engage a crane to pull the carcasses for them to take-up necropsy. Pulling carcasses from the lake will begin at 6 am, said a forest official.