Premature elephant calf dies following carnivore attack near Coimbatore

Elephant calf dies in Coimbatore due to wounds inflicted by carnivore.

An elephant calf aged around two weeks died following injuries inflicted by a carnivore near Madukkarai in Coimbatore district on Wednesday.

As per preliminary findings of the Forest Department and the forest veterinary officer, the deceased elephant calf had a premature birth and it fell ill after suffering wounds inflicted by a carnivore.

Field staff of the department spotted the calf in a weary state at Attamalai within the limits of the Madukkarai forest range during a routine monitoring of wild elephants around 7.30 a.m. on Wednesday. They immediately alerted higher officials of the Coimbatore Forest Division about the sick calf.

According to the department, the calf was born to a female elephant that forages in the area on December 19.

Based on the advice of forest veterinary officer A. Sukumar, lactogen 2 and glucose were administered to the calf. However, it died around 9.30 a.m. Dr. Sukumar examined the carcass and found that it had piercing wounds and nail marks inflicted by a carnivore.

According to the veterinarian, the calf possibly had difficulty in moving along with its herd. It is suspected to have been attacked by a carnivore, probably a leopard, around 10 days ago. The attack further deteriorated the calf’s health eventually leading to its death, he said.