Male elephant calf found dead in Valparai estate

Elephant calf found dead in Valparai forest due to digestive issues, post-mortem reveals.

An elephant calf was found dead in a forest patch inside an estate in Valparai on Tuesday. Findings of the post-mortem examination of the carcass suggested that the calf could have died of digestive issues.

The elephant calf was found dead in a shola forest patch inside field number 15 of Pachamalai estate, which falls under the jurisdiction of Valparai forest range of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), around 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

A team headed by Valparai forest range officer G. Venkatesh rushed to the spot and examined the carcass. According to the Forest Department, the carcass did not have external injuries and signs of suspicious death.

ATR’s Forest veterinary officer E. Vijayaraghavan and Veterinary Assistant Surgeon Senthilnathan from Valparai conducted the post-mortem on the carcass in the presence of Ganesh Raghunathan, Senior Programme Manager with the Nature Conservation Foundation, and Forest Department staff from Valparai range.

“The veterinarians opined that the elephant calf could have died of digestive issues,” said Mr. Venkatesh. The carcass was left in the wild for scavengers after the autopsy.