Ailing wild elephant dies in Erode’s Kadambur Hills

Female wild elephant in Erode dies despite treatment for back injuries, suspected spinal cord injury. Postmortem conducted.

A female wild elephant, aged between 35 and 40 years, being treated by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, died in a forest at the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Erode district on Monday (April 8, 2024) night.

During a patrol on Monday morning, a Forest Department team had found the elephant in severe distress, lying unconscious in a trench along the road at Musalmaduvu village in Kadambur Hills. A team led by S. Sadasivam, wildlife veterinarian of the STR, began giving it treatment. However, there was no significant change in the animal’s condition and it died at 7.50 p.m.

Kulal Yogesh Vilas, Deputy Director, STR and District Forest Officer, Sathyamangalam Division, told The Hindu that the animal was trapped in a small, narrow trench and was found lying on its side, unable to stand. A lacerated wound was noticed in its thoracic and lumbar vertebral region, he said and added that when the staff tried to support the elephant to get it to stand, it was observed that the elephant had back injuries along with swelling around its vertebrae.

The elephant may have fallen from a nearby cliff while climbing a hillock, he said and added that signs of its struggle were also found at the spot. “Despite the team’s best efforts to treat the elephant and support it to stand, the animal was not able to stand suggesting a possible injury to the spinal cord, and it succumbed to its injuries,” he added.

On Tuesday (April 9) morning, a postmortem was conducted as per the Tamil Nadu Elephant Death Audit Report (EDAF) to determine the exact cause of death and samples of vital organs were taken for laboratory tests.