In the post-mortem conducted by forest officials, the tusker, that was found dead near Bhavanisagar dam at Sirumugai Range, was found to have died of starvation because of an injury in the lower jaw.

According to District Forest Officer A. Periyasamy, the tusker had suffered the injury most likely during a fight with another bull elephant.

“The elephant’s right-side lower jaw (mandible) was broken in the fight, forcing the animal to starve for a couple of weeks as it could not eat, leading to its death,” he added.

The elephant which was roaming near the dam area, looked very week and it died a painful death.

The carcass of the tusker was found near Etchipaali Saragam in Sirumugai range around 12.15 pm. The carcass was found near the backside of the dam where elephants are usually come to drink water during the summer.

According to reports, four elephants had died in the last one month in Coimbatore, including the famous Madukkarai Maharaj, which was captured from Madukkarai in June.

Meanwhile, rumours are circulating that the death of tusker from Karamadai was due to poaching activity. However, officials have denied, stating that its death could be because of a fight with another bull, as there were no bullet injuries on the dead animal.