A Tusker nicknamed ‘Rolex’ was tranquilized and captured from Ichukkuzhi near Thondamuthur in Coimbatore district on 17 October 2025. Photo credit: SPL
A male wild elephant, which was relocated by the Forest Department from a village near Thondamuthur to Manthirimattam in the Manabololly forest range of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), was found dead on Wednesday.
A team that tracked the elephant using signals from an elephant radio collar found the animal dead around 2.30 pm near a stream in the Manambolly area.
The tusker, believed to have killed four people and regularly attacked agricultural crops, was caught from Ichukkuzhi near Thondamuthur on October 17. He stayed in a kraal at Varagaliar in ATR and was released into the wild at Manthirimattam on 12 November.
D. Venkatesh, Senior Conservator of Forests and Field Director, ATR, said the glider had been grazing in the wild for the past two weeks within a radius of two kilometers around the release site. It moved a total distance of 17.50 km within a radius of two km from the date of launch. The tracking team received a location update every 30 minutes.
He said the release site is known for good natural sources of feed and water, where the elephant was found grazing and mingling with other elephants. This was confirmed by the monitoring team stationed at Manthirimattam camp daily by directly observing the elephant and sending videos and messages.
The team also monitored the elephant directly on Wednesday based on a radio collar signal received at 11:45 am. Mr. Venkatesh said the team found the beetle moving towards the creek around 2:00 p.m. However, the elephant slipped on a slope flooded with sewage and fell.
“Though the staff saw the elephant fall, they could not approach the animal due to the presence of a herd nearby. They approached the animal around 2:30 pm and found it dead. Due to the unavailability of telephone networks, the staff had to travel some distance to report its death,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Wildlife Warden formed an independent investigation team headed by Assistant Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Venu Prasad, Tamil Nadu Wildlife Crime Control Bureau Director VC Rahul and Forest Veterinary Officer K. Sridhar of Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur and directed them to find the cause and ascertain the cause of death on the spot and radio records.
A post-mortem examination of the carcass will be carried out by a team of veterinarians on Thursday.
Published – 26 Nov 2025 21:40 IST
