Udhagamandalam (TN), May 25 (PTI) A 15-year old pregnant elephant was found dead in the Singara forest range in the hilly Nilgiris district, Forest department sources said on Tuesday.

The pachyderm was also attacked by a tiger late on Monday night, the sources added.

Based on information, some Forest department officials along with veterinarians rushed to the spot Tuesday morning and carried out a post-mortem in the presence of an NGO representative and Aachakarai village head.

The post-mortem revealed the presence of a 15-month old male foetus inside, they said adding that both the tushes were also recovered.

The department officials suspect that the elephant could have slipped in the sluggish soil and could have been attacked by a tiger when it was struggling to get up, they said.

Cameras kept around revealed the image of a tiger near the carcass and samples were taken to be sent to laboratory for histopathological analysis, they said.PTI CORR NVM SS

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)