A one-year-old male elephant calf was found dead in the Joraikadu forest area under the Jeerahalli Forest Range near Thalavadi in Erode district on Monday (September 21, 2026).
Forest staff found the carcass while patrolling the area and alerted senior officials. A team of veterinarians conducted a post-mortem examination on Tuesday (September 22) and collected samples of the calf’s vital organs for laboratory analysis. Forest Department officials said the preliminary findings suggested that the calf had died of natural causes. However, the exact cause of death would be confirmed only after the laboratory examination of the samples.
The Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) has 10 forest ranges and is home to a large number of wild animals. The forest area is currently experiencing severe drought, resulting in a shortage of food and water for wildlife, including elephants. The death of the calf comes a week after another elephant calf, aged about two to three years, was found dead in the Hasanur Forest Range of the Hasanur Division of the STR on September 15.
Published – September 22, 2026 03:26 pm IST
