Forest officials have discovered the decayed remains of three elephants, including a calf, in a private forest near the Tamil Nadu – Andhra Pradesh border.
According to a release from Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra, the find was reported on December 4 by the District Forest Officer, Vellore, after field staff detected the carcasses near a waterhole during routine patrolling in the private forest named Bhaimala.
The forest lies adjacent to the Kondapalli Reserved Forests in the Vellore division and close to Andhra Pradesh’s Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary, an area known for frequent interstate elephant movement. The site is located within Tamil Nadu, approximately four to five kilometres from the State boundary.
A special team led by A. Periasamy, Chief Conservator of Forests, Villupuram, along with Sridhar, Forest Veterinary Officer at Arignar Anna Zoological Park, has been dispatched for a detailed inspection. Officials from the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation have also been asked to assist the investigation through the collection of forensic samples.
Given the proximity to the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force), Andhra Pradesh, has been requested to support an interstate inquiry. Acting on this request, the Conservator of Forests, Anantapur, has deployed a team from the Chittoor division to participate in the joint investigation. Authorities stated that all possible samples will be collected and analysed to determine the cause of death.
