Tusker drowns after falling into 20ft contour canal in Pollachi

ClearedCoimbatore: A 40-year-old tusker, which is nicknamed ‘Chillikomban’, drowned after falling into a 20ft-deep contour canal in Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) near Pollachi here on Saturday.The elephant that was trapped in the contour canal in Pachathannir beat under Sethumadai East section of Pollachi forest range was first spotted by local residents around 4pm and they immediately alerted the forest field staff.When officials reached the spot, they found the tusker struggling to breathe because of the canal’s depth and fast-flowing water.The deputy director of ATR, Devendra Kumar Meena, was informed immediately. Forest officials coordinated with the executive engineer and the sub-divisional officer of Contour Canal Division to stop the water flow and reduce the water level. However, it took considerable time to control the heavy flow.An earthmover was deployed for the rescue operation, but the elephant’s weight and the strong water current made the effort unsuccessful. The elephant was found dead in the canal at around 6.40pm.Officials said the carcass could not be retrieved immediately as the water current remained strong. As the canal leads toward Thirumoorthy dam area through a tunnel section, the carcass drifted with the current, and officials attached to Udumalpet forest range were alerted.On Sunday, the tusker’s carcass was recovered from the Udumalpet forest range. After a postmortem examination, the carcass was buried within the forest range.