TN Forest Dept discharge probe as camp elephant collapses and dies

The forest department is investigating the sudden death of a 40-year-old captive elephant at Abharanyam Elephant Camp in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) on Wednesday (May 20) morning.

The elephant, identified as Cheran, is said to have suddenly collapsed on Wednesday, prompting forest department officials to launch an investigation into the cause of death. A team of forest department personnel along with veterinarians from the forest department and the animal husbandry department of the Animal Disease Intelligence Unit reached the camp and were present at the time of post-mortem of the animal.

Talking to The Hindu, MG Ganesan, deputy director of MTR, said that samples of the visceral organs of the animal have been collected for further analysis. He said it was unlikely that Cheran died of any communicable disease as the other elephants in the camp showed no signs of illness.

“Cheran was also involved in fights with other elephants in the camp in the past. During the post-mortem, we found that his internal organs were affected and it is possible that he had been ill for some time,” Mr Ganesan said, adding that tests would be carried out to rule out any viral or bacterial infection causing the elephant’s death.

Published – 20 May 2026 21:34 IST