Coimbatore : A Makna elephant, which was roaming in the jungles of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, with jaw and toungue injuries for the last 25 days, was found dead at Marappalam, on Sholaiyur Road in Kerala Wednesday.

The tusk-less male elephant was being monitored and treated by the forest department officials here and Kerala, for its injuries reportedly sustained after it bit into a country bomb or some infection.

The elephant was nicknamed as ‘bulldozere,’ as it had damaged more than 20 houses on the outskirts of Coimbatore.

The Makna was first found moving in Marudhamalai area on the outskirts on August 15 and suddenly appeared in Kerala forests after two days.

Forest department officials in Mannarkad in Kerala provided treatment for a few days for the oral cavity and managed to push it to the jungles after tranquilising, as it found it difficult to cure the injuries.

The elephant returned to Coimbatore region and found roaming in Boluvampatti region bordering Kerala on August 27.

The elephant again was found Kanuvai near here on September 3 and entered Jambnukandi area and then a STF camp in Mangarai on the outskirts
on Saturday evening, from where it was chased away by using firecrackers to the Kerala forest.

As wildlife activists criticised the deed of the STF for chasing away, the officials claimed that elephant was about to step on to a gas cylinder in the kitchen.

The 30-year old elephant was found dead near Marappalam in Attappady- Solaiyur road around 7 AM.