A 30-year-old male wild elephant was found dead in the Thadagam forest belt near Coimbatore, a region known for its dense wildlife population and frequent elephant movement along a major migratory corridor.
The area is also home to wild boars, bison, deer and leopards.
Forest department personnel, while patrolling the Nanjundapuram foothills near the lake, discovered the carcass in the Nathukkadu forest zone.
They immediately alerted senior officials, following which a team led by Forest Range Officer Thirumurugan inspected the spot.
As darkness fell and wild elephant activity increased in the area, officials deferred the post-mortem examination for safety reasons. Preliminary observations suggest the elephant may have died due to poor health.
Forest officials said the exact cause of death will be confirmed after the autopsy.
Wild elephant found dead in Thadagam forest
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