COIMBATORE: A 12-year-old tusker was found dead in Sirumugai forest range in Coimbatore district on Saturday morning.Field staffers spotted the carcass near Pethikuttai during a patrol and informed forest department officers who reached the spot. Sirumugai forest range officer K Manoj arranged for a postmortem by veterinary assistant surgeons K Vijayaragavan and C Thiyagarajan.Forest department officers said the tusks of the elephant were intact and no external injuries were found on the carcass. During the postmortem, veterinarians observed ulcer symptoms, possibly caused by consuming excessive fodder. According to the officers, elephants can suffer abdominal pain from overeating, and while many recover, some do not survive.They said the elephant might have died three days ago.After the postmortem, the carcass was left in the forest for scavengers such as leopards, dholes and wild boars.
