A tusker was found dead with three gunshot wounds at a farm near Magodu village in Arakalgud taluk on Tuesday. During the post-mortem of the 25-year-old elephant, veterinarians found two pellets. However, the tusk was intact.
Residents of the village found the carcass early in the morning and informed the forest officers. A team of officers, led by Ganesh Bhat, Deputy Conservator of Forests, reached the spot. The post-mortem concluded that the death was due to gunshots.
“It seems like the animal was shot at from close range, probably from an elevated position. It has three major wounds on its neck and forehead,” Mr. Ganesh Bhat told The Hindu .
The Forest Department has registered a case.