Tamil Nadu, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve authorities are investigating the sudden death of a 40-year-old captive elephant named Cheran at the Abharanyam elephant camp on Wednesday morning. The elephant reportedly collapsed unexpectedly, prompting forest officials to launch a detailed inquiry into the cause of death.
A team of forest department personnel, along with veterinarians from the Animal Husbandry Department’s Animal Disease Intelligence Unit, conducted a postmortem examination at the camp. Officials collected samples from Cheran’s internal organs for further analysis.
MTR Deputy Director M.G. Ganesan said the elephant had previously been involved in fights with other elephants at the camp. During the postmortem, veterinarians found signs of damage to internal organs, indicating that Cheran may have been suffering from an illness for some time.
Officials, however, said the death is unlikely to have been caused by a communicable disease, as no other elephants at the camp have shown symptoms of illness. Further tests are being carried out to rule out any viral or bacterial infection.
