Kozhikode (Kerala), Feb 3 (PTI) The Kerala government on Saturday appointed a high-level committee headed by a Chief Conservator of Forests to probe whether there were any lapses in connection with the capture of the rogue elephant from Wayanad which died after being transported to Karnataka.
The elephant was captured after an hours-long mission on February 2 when it had ventured into the southern state.
State Forest Minister A K Saseendran told PTI that a committee headed by Eastern Circle CCF and Custodian of Vested Forests, Palakkad, K Vijayananthan, will probe the matter and submit a report within a month.
Meanwhile, doctors who were part of the necropsy of the elephant which had died at Bandipur in Karnataka, told the media that as per the preliminary reports, the cause of death was “pulmonary arrest”.
“There was a 40-cm-wide wound on the elephant’s thigh which was filled with pus. There are chances of infection. We have collected the samples which will be sent to the laboratory for further examination,” Forest veterinary officer of Wayand, Dr Ajesh Mohandas, who was present during the autopsy of the elephant told the media.
He further said that the injury in the thigh was over a month old and the pulmonary arrest was due to that infection.
Mohandas said the animal had undergone heavy stress and trauma twice in the last one month.
He was referring to the news reports which said that the elephant was earlier tranquilized in Karnataka when it ventured into a human habitat. The animal which then ventured into Kerala was captured on Friday after darting it.
However, Saseendran said the autopsy was held in Karnataka and the official report will be out after the concerned officials prepare it.
He said the high-level committee was appointed to probe whether there were any lapses on capturing the pachyderm.
Saseendran had earlier termed it as the ‘utmost painful’, the news about the animal’s death, which had shocked everyone.
Called as ‘Thanneer Komban’ by locals, the elephant was captured more than 16 hours after it entered Kerala on Friday.
The tusker was darted with tranquiliser shots twice before being loaded onto a truck with the help of kumki elephants for being transported to Bandipur in Karnataka.
After around 10 pm on Friday, the pachyderm was loaded onto the truck with the help of the kumki elephants.
Kumki elephants are captive pachyderms used in operations for trapping and capturing other elephants.
The elephant was calm and composed throughout and did not attack anyone or cause any major property damage.
However, after reaching Bandipur last night, the elephant died. PTI RRT LGK RRT KH
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