Animal lovers dismisses theory of officials in elephant death

Wild animal lovers today dismissed theory floated by Forest Department officials that a tiger which died two days ago had after a quill got stuck in the mouth while eating porcupine meat.
Dr Senthil Murugan, a wildlife lover and a veterinary specialist, even human beings tend to get choked while gulping food, but One cannot say the same thing about tiger. "It will be very cautious while eating... While hunting and retreat if it feared something was wrong with the food."
The tiger should have unnatural death due to hunting or some other reason, but definitely not due to eating porcupine flesh, he said.

Similarly the death of an elephant yesterday must have been due to insufficient safety measures while transporting it for a temple festival at Varushanadu here.
The elephant should have been provided with poles on both sides so that it would not move in panic while negotiating the hill section. But the lorry driver had transported it like transporting cattle. It got panicky and had come to one side of the van, leading to it capsising.
The elephant which suffered head injury died on the spot. He said that action should be taken against the van driver and the elephant owner under Wildlife Protection Act.

Officials said the van driver, who was injured was being interrogated.
Meanwhile, forest officials said series of steps were being taken to provide water for the animals for the summer season. Water would be filled in selected sites visited by the animals.