Tragedy struck the Anamalai Tiger Reserve today after the wild elephant ‘Rolex’, recently captured and released by forest officials, died following a sudden fall inside the reserve.
Rolex, which had been entering farmlands in Coimbatore and damaging crops, was tranquilised and relocated to Manthiri Mattam inside the Anamalai Tiger Reserve on November 12.
A radio collar was fitted to track its movements. Since its release, the elephant had been feeding and moving normally, monitored round-the-clock by forest teams.
This afternoon, while grazing, Rolex approached a small waterbody to drink. In a tragic turn, it slipped on the wet ground and collapsed.
The monitoring team, who witnessed the fall, recorded the incident on video and rushed to the spot. However, the elephant failed to get up even after a long duration, and was later confirmed dead.
Forest officials said that an autopsy will be conducted tomorrow by forest veterinarians Dr. S. Vennila and Dr. N. Kalaivanan, in the presence of NGO representatives.
They added that the exact cause of death will be known only after reviewing the release-site conditions, radio-collar GPS data, and treatment records.
Rolex elephant dies after sudden fall in forest
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