The Forest Department will send bodily samples collected from the carcass of wild elephant ‘Rolex’, a wild elephant that was found dead in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) on Wednesday after its translocation from a Coimbatore village, to six different laboratories for various examinations.
Samples collected for disease screening, forensic toxicology and histopathology will be sent to the Central University Laboratory and Pharmacovigilance Laboratory of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University; Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh; Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation in Chennai; Kerala Forest Wildlife Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Wayanad; and Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History in Coimbatore; and the Regional Forensic Laboratory in Chennai.
Officials from the Department said that there were no external injuries on the carcass of the elephant that was found dead near Sirupulikan stream in Manambolly range of ATR around 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The necropsy performed by a team of veterinarians indicated that the tusker could have been aged above 50 based on its molar progression.
The veterinarians found about two litres of blood-tinged pericardial effusion accumulated in its pericardial cavity. The heart appeared to have been affected by chronic cardiac disease. There were signs of hemoerrhage in the heart, they opined.
Since a virus infection could also cause these conditions, samples were collected for histopathological examinations, officials said.
The elephant had been a habitual crop raider before it was captured by the Department from Ichukkuzhi near Thondamuthur on October 17. It was lodged in a kraal (wooden enclosure) at Varagaliar near Top Slip before being released into the wild at Manthirimattam in Manabololly forest range on November 12.
A senior official attached to ATR said that the elephant is suspected to have had a sudden heart failure while approaching Sirupulikan stream. The elephant stumbled and fell while descending the slope towards the stream. The animal also hit against a tree, before collapsing and dying as per observations by the team that had been tracking the animal using signals from its radio-collar.
The veterinarians also found the elephant’s liver harder than normal levels. The team also checked the dungpiles of the elephant, which had a variety of feed comprising grass, shrubs, tree leaves, tree bark and bamboo.
The fact-finding committee constituted by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra was present during the post-mortem. The team comprising chairman H. Venuprasad, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife); members V.C. Rahul, Director of Tamil Nadu Wildlife Crime Control Bureau; and K. Sridhar, Forest Veterinary Assistant Surgeon from Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur, inspected the place where the elephant was found dead.
They noticed slipping tracks of elephant foot for a distance of around 25 metre along a low gradient slope near the stream. The committee, which examined monitoring records, GPS data of radio-collar and treatment history of the elephant, will submit a detailed report to the Chief Wildlife Warden.