A tusker was found dead near Magodu village in the taluk, on Tuesday. The adult elephant is said to be around 25 years old and both its tusks were intact.
Though the exact reason for its death is yet to be ascertained, the Forest officials suspect that it might have died due to bullet injurires.
According to the villagers, a herd of 10 elephants, including a calf, were spotted in the surrounding villages since a week. The dead elephant is said to have been moving alone.
The forest officials, along with villagers, had chased it away by bursting crackers at 10 pm on Monday. But, the elephant was found dead on Tuesday morning.
Alleging negligence of the Forest department officials, the villagers, led by a Kannada organisation, staged a protest. They raised slogans against the Forest department and complained that their several pleas to drive the elephants away have been neglected.
Deputy Conservator of Forest Ganesh Bhat, ACF Ramesh Babu and others visited the spot.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Ganesh Bhat said, “The reason for the elephant’s death will be known only after the postmortem. Stern action would be taken if the report confirms death due to bullet injuries.”
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