Elephant found in critical condition Kuttampuzha forest in Ker

A 13-year-old wild female elephant was found struggling to eat and drink in a forest area near Kothamangalam due to a severe cut in its trunk, forest officials said.
Kuttampuzha forest range officer Mathew said the pachyderm was found with wounds on its trunk in a village bordering Enippara forest area, 80 kilometers from Kochi.
"It is almost a one month old wound. It would be very difficult to stitch the trunk which is almost severed. Efforts are being done to treat the elephant. Veterinary surgeons have reached here. But getting access near to her is a problem," he said over phone from Kuttampuzha.

Forest officials said the wound is not bleeding and it does not appear life threatening.
Officials also ruled out chances of poachers targeting the female elephant.
"There is only a remote possibility of having such an attack on a female elephant," an official said, adding there may be other reasons, including breaking of glass windows of a building near the forest areas to take food items like rice for such a deep cut in her trunk.
Such severe cut towards the end portion of the trunk could also be caused due to fights between male and female elephants during the time of mating, they said.