Kerala: Wild elephant falls into septic tank, dies

THRISSUR: A wild elephant died after falling into an unused septic tank in a private land close to the forests at Pothenchira, Vellikulangara near Kodakara in the district on Tuesday morning. The carcass was found in the tank attached to a deserted house by residents, who alerted the forest officials.
The front portion of the makhna elephant was submerged in the tank.Wild elephants have been straying into human habitations in the area, and forest officials feel the elephant must have fallen into the tank after stepping on its slab. Residents said wild elephants had uprooted a palm tree in the area two days ago and were frequenting the area to eat it.
It took about five hours to lift the carcass with the help of a crane, after broadening the tank with a JCB. The carcass was loaded onto a truck and taken for autopsy, which was conducted in the nearby Vellikulangara forest range.
According to Chalakudy DFO Sambudha Majumder, preliminary observations do not indicate any foul play. “The elephant must have fallen into the septic tank . We will come to know the exact cause of death after the postmortem report is received,” Majumder said. Forest veterinarian David Abraham said the elephant was healthy and might have been about 25 years' old