COIMBATORE: A wild male elephant died after getting trapped in slushy mud at a plantain farm in Gudalur in the Nilgiris on Sunday.
The elephant ventured out of the Mudumalai forest area and entered a farm near Thenvayal in the Gudalur forest range last evening to raid its plantain crops when its forelegs got trapped in slushy soil.
In the morning, a group of farmers on their way to work found the elephant lying motionless with its forelegs completely buried in the loose soil.
Upon receiving information, a team of forest department officials led by Divisional Forest Officer (Gudalur) Vengatesh Prabhu arrived at the farm and found that the elephant had already died.
An examination revealed that it was around 20 years of age.
“The elephant which raided the farm accidentally got its legs stuck in slush. While making a desperate attempt to come out, his trunk and tusks got completely buried in the slush, resulting in death due to breathlessness,” said an official.
A post-mortem exam was conducted and samples were collected for testing to establish the causes for the death of the elephant.
An inquiry is also underway to find out if the farm was an encroachment and if found to be one, efforts would be taken for its retrieval, the official added.