Elephant calf found dead on farmland in Sullia, tusker attack suspected

Mangaluru: An elephant calf was found dead on a farmland at Bedrupane, Aranthodu village near Sullia of Dakshina Kannada on Monday, with forest officials suspecting that the animal may have been fatally attacked by an adult tusker. Sullia range forest officer (RFO) Manjunath told TOI that the carcass of a female calf, estimated to be around one year old, was discovered on the farm land with multiple injuries.

He said a herd of elephants had reportedly entered the farmland between late Sunday night and early Monday morning, damaging crops in the area. The calf is believed to have been part of this herd. Personnel from the elephant task force and the forest department’s night duty staff drove the herd back into the forest by bursting crackers between 11.30pm and 12am.

However, officials suspect the herd may have re-entered the farmland around 3am. Preliminary findings suggest that a male tusker could have attacked the calf during the movement. Veterinarian Dr Yashaswi, who examined the carcass, informed that the calf had injury marks across its body and had suffered severe internal injuries leading to bleeding, blood clots and extensive organ damage. Officials suspect the calf may have been violently thrown to the ground by the tusker.

“The liver was completely damaged,” the RFO said, referring to the veterinarian’s observations, adding that a postmortem examination has been conducted and the final report is awaited. Subramanya sub-division assistant conservator of forests (ACF) Prasanth Kumar Pai, and other forest officials visited the spot and inspected the area.