A tragic incident occurred on Friday morning near Coonoor when a female elephant fell more than 70 feet from a gorge, leading to her untimely death.
Forest Department officials reported that the elephant had been observed along the Coonoor ghat for several weeks and was under continuous monitoring by the staff. Recently, she appeared to be ill or injured and was spotted near the sixth hairpin bend on the Mettupalayam to Coonoor Road.
It is believed the elephant lost her footing while navigating the difficult terrain, resulting in the fatal fall. S. Gowtham, the Divisional Forest Officer for the Nilgiris division, explained that the area where the incident transpired is a steep gorge. The elephant, approximately 33 years old, had suffered a minor fall earlier that morning, from a height of 20 to 30 feet.
Upon being notified, forest staff quickly arrived at the scene and attempted to provide medical assistance to the injured animal. “By the time our team reached, the elephant was clinging on to life but eventually suffered another fall and died,” Mr. Gowtham reported.
A postmortem examination was conducted on the deceased elephant to determine the cause of death.
Published – January 10, 2025, 08:47 PM IST
