Two adult elephants die of 'exhaustion' due to lack of water and food in Indian jungle

M G Srinath

New Delhi – Two adult elephants have died of “exhaustion” while searching for water and food during the last four days in the Sathyamangalam forests in southern Tamil Nadu state, the Times of India newspaper reported Wednesday.

A 35-year-old makhna — a bull elephant without a tusk — died in the elephant haven of Thengumarahada in Bhavanisagar forest range in Sathyamangalam division on Monday evening. The postmortem examination conducted by forest department veterinarian revealed that the elephant had died of “impaction,” a potential case of dehydration and colitis in the stomach.

On April 16, a 50-year-old female elephant was found dead at Kovilur forest area in Palayam. The elephant had lesions in liver and spleen, an indication that it had raided pesticide-laced food crops because of the fodder shortage in the jungles, the report said.

Elephants gulp at least 100 to 125 liters of water everyday. While healthy elephants can trudge long distances in search of water, “weak and sick” animals are unable to “perambulate” and succumb, says forest veterinarian Dr N.S. Manoharan.

However, Sathyamangalam District Forest Officer, S. Ramasubramaniam, has been quoted as saying that there is no food or water scarcity in the forests. “We have provided adequate water troughs for the animals. And it is not abnormal for elephants to die at 35 years in wild conditions,” he said.

With the onset of summer, forests in western Tamil Nadu have been reeling under severe drought conditions and a spate of fire as well.

With fodder and water holes drying up in the jungles, elephants are raiding the agricultural fields in hamlets located on the forest fringes.

Besides drought conditions, viral diseases are also taking a toll on elephants. Last Sunday, a baby elephant died at a water trough at the Salim Ali Center for Ornithology at Anaikatty in Coimbatore, due to “severe viral infection”.

The death of the elephants comes days after elephant conservationists and Tamil Nadu Forest officials discussed initiatives undertaken and future activities for conservation of Asian elephants in the state during a two-day workshop at Coimbatore city.

Participants also discussed issues that are affecting elephants in Tamil Nadu, according to DNA newspaper.

The workshop is a follow-up on recommendations of the national elephant corridor workshop held in Bangalore city in December 2007.

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department, the Project Elephant, the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), the Elephant Family and the World Land Trust (WLT) jointly organized the workshop.

Tamil Nadu state chief wildlife warden R Sundararaju has been quoted as saying that the habitat degradation and fragmentation are among major causes of human-elephant conflicts.

Sundararaju called upon participants to formulate viable recommendations to reduce conflicts and help conserve elephants.

"Help us conserve the elephant and forests for our own survival," Sundararaju said.

Highlighting the significance of corridors in elephant conservation, Project Elephant director AN Prasad said corridor connectivity is always a necessity for elephant's survival.

"Elephants are wide-ranging and are continuously on the move, so connectivity is always a necessity for elephant's survival. If the connectivity is broken, elephants either remain trapped in small areas or they migrate to other unchartered territories leading to conflicts," Prasad has been quoted as saying.

The WTI executive director Vivek Menon expressed concern that elephant species is in danger in India despite being revered as a God, the newspaper report said.

"Despite elephants being found in large numbers in India, and despite them being revered as a God, the species is in danger. It is important to make people understand the elephant and its needs to facilitate its conservation," Menon said.

The workshop discussed the WTI work the 'Right of Passage' that documents 88 elephant corridors across India.

The workshop also discussed the issues related to human-elephant conflict scenario, status of corridors, as well as mitigation of elephant deaths due to train hits in various forest divisions in Tamil Nadu.

The Indian subcontinent has the largest population of Asian elephant with population estimates ranging from 26,000 to 31,000.

The 12,000 sq. km area, spanning three southern states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala may be home to 6,300 elephants, the largest remaining population of Asian elephants in the world, according to various reports.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/319786,two-adult-elephants-die-of-exhaustion-due-to-lack-of.html.