Coimbatore: Two elephants were found dead in this district, one due to gunshot wounds at Kandiyur and the other following ill-health while the carcass of another jumbo was found in nearby Nilgiris, forest department officials said on Thursday.
Two people have been taken into custody for questioning in connection with the Kandiyur case, they said.
The 25-year-old female elephant was found dead, bleeding from the left ear at Kandiyur in Mettupalayam, about 45 km from here, department sources said.
Veterinarian Dr Sukumar, who performed the autopsy, said there was a bullet injury on the left ear which led to the bleeding, even as the elephant fell on its right side.
"After the post-mortem, the bullet was extracted from the body of the elephant. It appears that the shooter shot the elephant at point-blank range. The bullet pierced through the ear and entered the brain, killing the animal instantly," said District Forest Officer of Coimbatore forest division D Venkatesh to ETV Bharat.
Forest officials were also informed about the death of another female elephant at Sirumugai, some 20 km away.
The 20-year old elephant was said to be suffering from ill-health. Meanwhile, the carcass of a male elephant was found in a private bamboo resort around Masinaguri in Nilgiris district.
According to officials, the death appears to be due to electrocution as the elephant might have tried to pull bamboo shoots and might have touched a live wire or fence. The tusks are intact, they said.
So far, 13 elephants have been found dead in Coimbatore forest division since March 2020.
With Inputs from PTI
