A young female elephant died after falling from a steep cliff along the Nadugani ghat road near Nilambur and it was later found that part of her trunk was eaten by a tiger. Forest officials confirmed the presence of fresh tiger pugs near the carcass.
The dead body of a female elephant, estimated to be 12 years old, was found on a concrete slab above a culvert near Jaram on the Vazhikkadavu-Nadugani ghat road, within the limits of the Nellikkuthu forest station under the Vazhikkadavu range.
Forest officials said the elephant was suspected to have slipped off a cliff nearly 30 meters high before hitting the concrete structure below. According to Forest Veterinarian Shyam S, who conducted the postmortem, two ribs were broken in the fall, while one pierced the heart, causing instant death.
“The cause of death was a punctured heart in a fall,” said Dr. Shyam. The elephant’s liver and lungs were also found to be severely damaged by the impact. Officials estimated the elephant had died nearly two days before the carcass was discovered. By then the tiger had partially eaten the decaying trunk.
“We found fresh tiger pugs near the carcass. However, there is no evidence that the elephant died in the tiger attack. It appears to have slipped off the cliff,” said Vazhikkadavu ranger P. Vinod.
After the autopsy, the carcass was moved to a suitable location using a crane and later buried.
Published – 12 May 2026 20:22 IST
