Plastic bags found in the large instestine of the deceased elephant during the post-mortem examination.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The post-mortem examination on the carcass of a female wild elephant that died at Marudhamalai foothills in Coimbatore on Tuesday (May 20, 2025) revealed that the animal was pregnant and its stomach contained plastic bags and aluminum foil, which it had consumed along with food waste food from a dump yard nearby.

A team of veterinarians from the Forest Department, who treated the elephant for four days from May 17, performed the post-mortem examination on Wednesday (May 21).

The veterinarians found that that the elephant had been carrying a foetus of a male calf of 12 to 15 months old.

While examining the elephant’s large intestine, the veterinarians found numerous single-use plastic bags, aluminum foil, and polythene packets of snacks and other food items inside, which the animal is suspected to have had scavenged from a nearby dump yard of Somayampalayam village panchayat at Marudhamalai foothills, close to the forest boundary.

Veterinarians had suspected that the animal had ingested plastic bags, after a recent video of the elephant feeding on waste dumped in Marudhamalai hill surfaced a few days ago.

Organ failure

Forest Veterinary Officer A. Sukumar said the elephant is suspected to have suffered a multi-organ failure due to septicemia. Vital organs, including the heart and liver, were not in healthy condition.

“From the plastic waste materials found in the large intestine, it can be assumed that the elephant had been scavenging the dump yard. Ingestion of contaminated food waste and plastics could lead to life-threatening conditions,” he said.

The elephant was first spotted in ailing condition behind the Bharathiar University campus on May 17, along with a juvenile calf. The animal later collapsed, and a team of veterinarians from the Department initiated treatment. The animal was brought to standing position with the support of a crane and belts on May 18.

The elephant showed signs of improvement in its health after three days of treatment, according to the Department. The animal was given hydrotherapy on Tuesday afternoon, for which it was lowered into a seven-foot-high makeshift pool with 18,000 litres of water. It was an attempt to bring relief to the animal from the pressure on its joints and to relax its muscles. The elephant was lifted from the pool after it evinced distress symptoms. It died shortly thereafter.

District Forest Officer N. Jayaraj said the dump yard will be fenced by the respective authorities after clearing the waste. After The Hindu highligted the impact of the garbage piles on the wildlife, Coimbatore District Collector ordered to close the dump yard on Monday.