Wayanad: Thanneer Komban, the elephant that was tranquilized and relocated to Bandipur forest in Karnataka, died of a heart attack, the preliminary report said.
The report was prepared by the Bandipur field director. It said that the elephant could have suffered a heart attack due to the pressure it suffered during the tranquilizing process. The report further said that the elephant had puss-filled wound on its body. There was a wound on his genitals too, the report said Manorama News reported.
The necropsy of the elephant has been completed. However, a final report will be submitted in a week, sources said. The wound on the elephant's leg was four days old, they said.
The elephant had been roaming around the paddy field near a plantain farm in Mananthavady since Friday afternoon.
Kerala for Forests and Wild Life Protection A K Saseendran called the death of Thanneer Komban 'extremely painful.'
The tusker was darted with tranquilizer shots twice before being loaded onto a truck with the help of kumki elephants for being transported to Bandipur in Karnataka on Friday night. Earlier, it strayed into Mananthavady town in Wayanad and created panic in the area.
