Anthrax was found to be the cause of the death of a tusker, which was found dead in Karadimadai on the outskirts yesterday.

The postmortem carried out by veterinarian, Dr. Manoharan revealed that the 20-year-old pachyderm was suffering from Anthrax, which was the major reason for its death, Forest Department sources said.

The male adult elephant was found dead near a dry stream in Madukkarai Forest range.

The elephant had serious injuries on its back, probably due to a fight with other elephants. Its skin and intestine were affected by Anthrax, an infection caused by bacteria, they said.

Efforts are on to sanitise the area and also administer preventive injection to the cattle in the surrounding areas, the sources said.