It is suspected that the tusker must have died about three days ago. Bhadravathi Deputy Conservator of Forest S S Lingaraj said that the cause for the death of the elephant has not been ascertained. There are no signs which speak of attack, electrocution or possibility of poisoning, he added.
The corpse of the tusker had already started to decay and the post mortem of the animal was conducted by the veterinary doctors who came from Shimoga. Since the doctors could not ascertain the exact cause for death, they decided to send the heart and respiratory organ of the animal to the lab for investigation.
There are hundreds of elephants living in Bhadra Reserve Forest area which come to the area of human habitation to eat paddy. Local residents say that many elephants die after eating tender paddy, which do not get digested fast. Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest B K Singh visited the spot.
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