Kozhikode (Kerala), Feb 3: The Kerala government on Saturday appointed a high-level committee headed by a Chief Conservator of Forests to probe whether there were any lapses in connection with the capture of the rogue elephant from Wayanad which died after being transported to Karnataka.
The elephant was captured after an hours-long mission on February 2 when it had ventured into the southern state.
State Forest Minister A K Saseendran told PTI that a committee headed by Eastern Circle CCF and Custodian of Vested Forests, Palakkad, K Vijayananthan, will probe the matter and submit a report within a month.
Meanwhile, doctors who were part of the necropsy of the elephant which had died at Bandipur in Karnataka, told the media that as per the preliminary reports, the cause of death was "pulmonary arrest".
"There was a 40-cm-wide wound on the elephant's thigh which was filled with pus. There are chances of infection. We have collected the samples which will be sent to the laboratory for further examination," Forest veterinary officer of Wayand, Dr Ajesh Mohandas, who was present during the autopsy of the elephant told the media.
He further said that the injury in the thigh was over a month old and the pulmonary arrest was due to that infection.
Mohandas said the animal had undergone heavy stress and trauma twice in the last one month.
He was referring to the news reports which said that the elephant was earlier tranquilized in Karnataka when it ventured into a human habitat. The animal which then ventured into Kerala was captured on Friday after darting it.
However, Saseendran said the autopsy was held in Karnataka and the official report will be out after the concerned officials prepare it.
He said the high-level committee was appointed to probe whether there were any lapses on capturing the pachyderm.
Saseendran had earlier termed it as the 'utmost painful', the news about the animal's death, which had shocked everyone.
Called as 'Thanneer Komban' by locals, the elephant was captured more than 16 hours after it entered Kerala on Friday.
The tusker was darted with tranquiliser shots twice before being loaded onto a truck with the help of kumki elephants for being transported to Bandipur in Karnataka.
After around 10 pm on Friday, the pachyderm was loaded onto the truck with the help of the kumki elephants.
Kumki elephants are captive pachyderms used in operations for trapping and capturing other elephants.
The elephant was calm and composed throughout and did not attack anyone or cause any major property damage.
However, after reaching Bandipur last night, the elephant died.
The KFD today with the help of Kumki Elephant, severely tortured an elephant named Thaneer Komban and took it away in a vehicle. The elephant screamed from the pain of the wound @moefcc @narendramodi @Manekagandhibjp @byadavbjp @rameshpandeyifs @pinarayivijayan @saseendran_ak pic.twitter.com/vQZysCihmG
— Parthiban S (@Parthiban951428) February 2, 2024
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New Delhi (PTI): The maximum temperature in Delhi settled at 32.7 degrees Celsius on Sunday, 1.3 notches below the seasonal average, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 20.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday, 1.3 notches below the average for the season, while the relative humidity stood at 46 per cent at 5.30 pm, the IMD said.
The weather department has forecast a partly cloudy sky for Monday with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to hover around 34 and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The air quality remained 'moderate' at 4 pm, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 134, a slight drop from Saturday’s 137, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
