The elephant nicknamed ‘Radhakrishnan’. File
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
An elephant nicknamed ‘Radhakrishnan’, which had been translocated to the Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) a fortnight ago, was found dead in the Upper Gothaiyar area of the reserve on Tuesday (November 18, 2025).
The elephant had been captured in Ayyankolli in the Nilgirs after it had damaged houses in the region. It had sustained injuries, and was initially treated at the Varakaliyar camp in Aanamalai.
As the tusker had responded to the treatment by the Forest department veterinarians, it was translocated to the KMTR where it was released in the Upper Gothaiyar area, well beyond the Maanjolai tea garden in the Western Ghats, with a radio collar.
Upper Gothaiyar has abundant water and food for elephants, and the Forest department had previously translocated another tusker ‘Arikomban’ and released it in the same area on June 5, 2023.
As their experiment with ‘Arikomban’ was successful, ‘Radhakrishnan’ was also released in the area. Teams comprising Forest department personnel and anti-poaching watchers followed the tusker to its new home for a few days.
The elephant, however, was found dead on Tuesday with bleeding injuries on its trunk and mouth. The KMTR officials, however, had not confirmed its death then.
Sources in the Forest department said on Wednesday that the elephant had apparently stepped on a grassy and slippery surface, lost its balance, fell from about 25 feet, and sustained a head injury, causing its death.
Published – November 19, 2025 12:32 pm IST
