3 jumbos found dead in Mlpm forests

Kozhikode: Three elephants were found dead in three separate locations within the Vazhikkadavu forest range in Malappuram over the weekend. The elephants were discovered near the Marutha Cocoa Estate, Karakkode Putharippadam Madampichola, and Karulaayi Ezhuthukal.

The one near the Cocoa Estate was a 20-year-old female elephant, dead for about four days. The other, a 10-year-old male elephant, was found near Madampichola, about 200 meters from a private property in Putharippadam. The third carcass was that of a six-month-old baby elephant found in Karulaayi.

Forest officials discovered the carcasses during an inspection after hearing continuous elephant trumpeting the previous night. Preliminary postmortem reports suggest that a viral infection caused the deaths. The female elephant near the Cocoa Estate showed damage to its internal organs. Forest officials suspect that the baby elephant sustained injuries in a wild animal attack.

A team, including Vazhikkadavu range forest officer Shareef Panolan, section forest officers K R Rajesh and Lal V Nath, beat forest officers P M Ayoob, J Jisna, Jayarajan, C Abhilash and Bijesh visited the site. Forest veterinary surgeons Dr S Shyam, Dr Muhammadali, and Dr Rinu led the postmortem procedures, and the carcasses were buried inside the forest.