Immediate cause of death of Kerala elephant was drowning which caused lung failure: Autopsy report

Palakkad: The preliminary post-mortem report of a female wild elephant at Mannarkkad Forest Division says that the immediate cause of the death of the animal was drowning followed by inhalation of water leading to lung failure.

"Drowning, followed by inhalation of water leading to lung failure, is the immediate cause of death of the elephant," the post-mortem report read.

However, the report also confirmed that the elephant had suffered incapacitating wounds in its oral cavity following an explosive blast in the mouth after which it took shelter in the Velliyar river.

"The major and incapacitating wounds and injuries in oral cavity caused localised sepsis and have most likely occurred following an explosive blast in the mouth. This has resulted in excruciating pain and distress in the region and prevented the animal from taking food and water for nearly two weeks. Severe debility and weakness, in turn, resulted in the final collapse in water that led to drowning," the post-mortem report further read.

The elephant had died in Palakkad district on May 27 after it ate a pineapple stuffed with crackers and forest officials said that it died standing in river Velliyar after it suffered an injury in its lower jaw.

The elephant was seen standing in the river with its mouth and trunk in the water for some relief from the pain after the explosive-filled fruit exploded in its mouth.