The female elephant, which had come into conflict with humans on Wednesday, and was found struggling for its life in a lake on Thursday, succumbed to its injuries on Thursday midnight. 

According to Forest officials, “the 55 to 60-year-old jumbo died due to acute starvation and dehydration”. The department is however quite about the bullet injury that the elephant sustained during the rescue operation.  

RFO (Hunsur range) Rajappa said that in the absence of expert veterinarians, the elephant had been treated by the Hunsur government hospital veterinarian. “We tried to provide IV fluids through its ears and administered other medicines. However, the elephant failed to respond to the treatment. As it weighed about four tons, we could not lift it from the water,” he said. 

The local veterinarian who conducted the post mortem 3 pm, concluded that the animal died due to starvation and dehydration. “There was not even a blade of grass in the intestines of the elephants,” the RFO said, adding that there were no internal injuries.

When asked whether elephant died to the bullet injury, he denied it stating that the jumbo had been fired with mild barrel guns called ‘Country guns’. 

“The bullets only penetrate the skin. It can’t harm the animal,” he added. 

Two elephants had ventured out of Nagarhole forest on Wednesday. While one of the elephants returned to the forests on the same day, the female elephant got left behind, as it found it difficult to cross over the trench.  

As large crowds gathered, the agitated elephant began to charge, and in the process, it had damaged a department jeep. Following this, department officials had opened fire at the elephant.