Thrissur (Kerala), Jul 14 (PTI) Forest Department officials on Friday found the carcass of a wild elephant buried on a private property near a forest area under the Machad Range in the district.

A senior forest official said the carcass is suspected to be around 15 days to one month old.

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"The inspection was conducted based on information received by the Machad range officer. We found the carcass of the elephant. The post-mortem is going on. We are yet to ascertain the reason behind the death," the forest official told PTI.

The Forest department used an excavator and unearthed the skeleton of an elephant with one tusk missing.

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Meanwhile, state Forest Minister A K Saseendran told the media that there was some mystery behind the incident.

"If the elephant was electrocuted from the power lines, then the locals could have informed us. If someone had killed the elephant, we would take strong action," Saseendran said.

The Forest Department said the carcass was found on a private property and the owner is currently absconding.

(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)