A two-year-old female elephant calf died after swallowing a country-made bomb in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district, with a farmer arrested in connection with the incident, forest officials said on Monday. Forest personnel on patrol in the Guthiyalathur reserve forest discovered the calf’s body a few days ago and alerted a forest veterinarian, officials said. Following an autopsy, the veterinarian confirmed that the calf died after consuming a country-made bomb. Forest officials said they suspect the explosive may have been planted by a poacher or a farmer attempting to prevent elephants from straying into agricultural fields. After conducting an investigation, they arrested Kalimuthu (43), a farmer of the area, they added.

Source: The Telegraph January 13, 2026 05:28 UTC