A male elephant was found dead by Forest Department officials in the Valparai forest range of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) in Coimbatore district on Monday.
Officials attached to ATR and veterinarians commenced the autopsy on Tuesday morning. Forest Department officials said that they found the carcass on Monday evening at the reserve forest in Andiparai Shola, which falls under the Valparai forest range of the Pollachi Forest Division attached to ATR. They traced the elephant based on inputs from local tea estate workers about a fight between two elephants.
Estimated to be around 25 years old, the elephant probably died due to the injuries caused due to the fight with another male elephant, according to the officials.
This is the third elephant to die within the ATR limits this year. Meanwhile, 19 elephants have died within Coimbatore Forest Division so far.
