Three animals found dead in two days at Tamil Nadu`s Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

Chennai: A day after the carcasses of a sloth bear and a sub-adult female elephant were discovered at Tamil Nadu’s Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, another baby elephant was found dead on Tuesday (August 10).

A patrolling team of the forest department identified the carcass of a female baby elephant with multiple injuries.

On Monday, the department had initiated an investigation into the deaths of two animals whose carcasses were found at different spots. The probe revealed that electrocution in a wire fence caused the death of the male sloth bear while Anthrax is suspected to have caused the death of the sub-adult female elephant.

Based on the postmortem of the sloth bear, Deputy Director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Buffer Zone, L C S Srikanth said that the bear got stuck between an energised wire fence, and died of electrocution. In terms of the action taken, he said that an enquiry was conducted with Ramasamy (86), who has been taking care of the land, where the death occurred. The energiser, steel writs and other accessories were seized under Mahazar. A case was registered, but the individual was not arrested, given his old age and also considering that arrest is not mandatory.

Regarding the death of the female elephant, physical evidence suggested the cause of death to be Anthrax. Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax can be found naturally in soil and commonly affects domestic and wild animals around the world.

The carcass of the elephant would be disposed of in line with the protocols. It is notable that pictures of the elephant’s body showed bloodstains on the ground near the trunk and the mouth of the elephant.

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, located in the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu, is at the tri-junction of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. It is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Animals such as tiger, leopard, elephant, Indian Gaur (bison), sloth bear are often sighted at the Reserve.