A male tusker that was recently captured in Gudalur died at the Abhayaranayam temporary elephant camp in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) on Friday evening. However, a few weeks prior to its capture, the wound had become much larger and forest officials reluctantly intervened after pressure from people on social media who wanted the animal captured and treated. The elephant was captured without the use of tranquilisers and shifted to a temporary camp in the tiger reserve on June 17, where it was being treated. Kaushal, Field Director of MTR, said that the animal had been feeding well and was noticeably gaining weight since its capture. However, things took a sudden turn on Friday morning and the elephant became seriously ill, and died in the evening,” he said.

Source: The Hindu July 09, 2021 19:52 UTC