Kochi: The carcasses of five wild elephants, including a calf and a pregnant female, have been recovered from three forest divisions in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, following days of intense rainfall and flooding in the region.
Two tuskers were found dead on Thursday in the Kuttampuzha forest range, which falls under the Malayattoor division, about 50 km from Kochi. Their bodies were spotted in the Pooyamkutty River near Kuttampuzha panchayat.
According to forest officials, both elephants were about 15 years old and had likely fallen from the Pindimed waterfall.
Preliminary examination revealed signs of internal bleeding and fractured ribs, possibly caused by the fall and being swept downstream by strong river currents.
The carcasses appeared to be around two days old.
The carcasses of a female elephant and her calf were recovered near a waterfall about 20 km from the Idamalayar dam. Residents of the Adichilthotti tribal settlement spotted the bodies and informed the authorities.
Forest officials suspect the two elephants may have slipped while attempting to cross the flooded Idamalayar River and plunged down the nearby waterfall.
Malayatoor Divisional Forest Officer P Karthik on Friday told IANS that four carcasses of elephants were found in the division on Thursday. He said that there was nothing unusual about the deaths of the four elephants, which appeared to have occurred due to flooding after heavy rain.
In a separate incident, a pregnant female elephant was found dead in a rivulet at Ayyampuzha, near Angamaly, according to a local media report. The body was located in the Athirappilly forest area, which comes under the Vazhachal division.
Samples of the viscera from all five elephants have been collected and sent for forensic analysis. Following the post-mortem examinations, the elephant carcasses were buried as per protocol.
This is not the first time elephant deaths have been reported during floods in Kerala. In 2018, during the catastrophic monsoon, several elephants were swept away in rivers across Idukki and Wayanad districts.
Similar incidents were reported in 2020 in the Periyar and Parambikulam tiger reserves. The Forest Department has initiated a joint inquiry across all three forest divisions affected.
Officials have also asked local communities to remain alert and report any further sightings or unusual activity along riverbanks.
(IANS)
