According to forest department officials, the death of a six-year-old female elephant in Gudalur’s O’Valley on Friday may have been due to accidental ingestion of pesticides.
The animal was found dead near a tea garden, raising suspicions that locals may have caused it. However, a post-mortem conducted by the forest department’s veterinarians revealed that the animal had swallowed a pack of insecticides used in tea fields and orchards.
Conservator of Forests (Nilgiris) D. Venkatesh said a case has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act, and samples of the animal’s parts have been sent for forensic analysis. “We will identify the pesticide that the animal ingested. We are also searching the area to find out whether the elephant had broken into a building or storage area in search of food when it accidentally ingested the pesticide,” Mr. Venkatesh said.