Coimbatore : A 20-year old tusker, which was roaming with injuries on its leg and abdomen for the last six months, was found dead at Nellithurai forest area in the district, Thursday evening.

The carcass was noticed by forest department personnel in the interior of reserve forest, department sources said.

With the elephant roaming around the jungles of Tamil Nadu and Kerala from March end, the department had decided to tranquilise and treat its injuries.

However, due to its migration from one jungle to another, the officials were not not able to track it and were feeding by medicine mixed fruits.

Even two kumkis (tamed elephants) were brought to bring it back so that the elephant can be brought back from hilly terrain, near the camp where a group veterinarians were waiting for tranquilising it.

However, the elephant was found dead Thursday evening, reportedly falling from a 15 metre height due to slippery area, the sources said.

Postmortem was carried out Friday and the cause of thye injury was said to be after fight with another elephant. The body was buried there itself.

Wildlife activists and environmentalists blamed the negligence by the department for the death, even as the district reported 20 elephant deaths for the last eight months.

Meanwhile, a carcass of a female elephant, aged about 15 years, was found in Theppakkad range in Nilgiris district late Thursday evening.

In another incident, a four year old female leopard was found dead in a mysterious circumstances Friday at Tantea estate at Cherampadi near Gudalur in Nilgiris district.

Based on information given by estate workers, forest department officials rushed there and carried out postmortem and sent viscera for examination to Chennai.

Action will follow after getting the postmortem reports, department sources said.