Coimbatore: A calf elephant that was injured in a high voltage electrocution near Mettupalayam on Tuesday died on Wednesday without responding to treatment given by the Forest department’s veterinary doctor.
It may be recalled that an about 18-months-old calf male elephant that had entered a coconut farm near Dhasampalayam village in Mettupalaym forest range, along with its mother and six-year-old brother in search of water and food on Monday night, were electrocuted in the farm ringed by high voltage electric fence.
The mother jumbo and the six-year-old sub-adult male died attempting to cross the fence. The little calf was thrown away before it came into contact with the live wire, sources said. The Forest department rescued the calf and treated him, but he unfortunately died on Wednesday not responding to treatment.
In a similar incident, a nine-year-old estimated female elephant, which suffered mouth injuries from biting an explosive substance, also died on Wednesday without responding to the treatment. The incident happened in Manalpudhur near Karamadai forest range.
Periyanaickenpalayam forest range officer, C.Palani Raja told DC that the elephant was found sometime back with explosive injuries in its mouth, besides suffering a fracture in its knee. “We suspect it would have happened while biting a country-made bomb kept in farm lands for protecting crops from the wild boars, mistaking it to be fruit or vegetable.” On biting, the bomb must have exploded in her mouth, he noted.
“The elephant was very tired and its was lying on the ground when we reached the spot couple of days ago,” said Forest veterinary doctor N.S. Manoharan, who gave medication to the injured elephant. But she also sadly died today without responding to the treatment.
With this four elephants have died in Coimbatore forest division within 48 hours. The drought inside the forest and the lack of water in the ponds and swamp have made wild elephants to frequently enter inside human habitats creating possibilities for man-animal conflict, sources added.
