Mudumalai Tiger Reserve Witnesses First-Ever Death of Female Elephant Due to Mating Shock

The Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu witnessed the death of a 25-year-old female elephant due to mating shock on October 12, 2023. It was found that the dead elephant was pregnant at the time.

Female Elephant Dies Due to Rupture of Carapace

• This marks the first-ever case in the Nilgiris district where an elephant died due to the rupture of the carapace as a result of shock caused during mating with another male elephant

• The forest department officials found the dead animal while patrolling in the Singhara forest area of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

• Thereafter, the forest veterinarians immediately conducted a post-mortem on the dead elephant as per the orders of the Mudumalai Field Director, Venkatesh.

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Nilgiris District

• The Mudumalai Tiger Reserve of Nilgiris District is a forest area of 683 square kilometers that holds a large number of wild animals including elephants, tigers, leopards, bears, buffaloes, and deer

• The reserve straddles the Ooty - Mysore interstate national highway, roughly midway between the two cities, and thus could be approached with equal facility either way.

The Mudumalai Tiger Reserve stores a sense of affection toward all its living creatures, especially elephants that popularized the century-old Theppakadu Elephant Camp of the Reserve worldwide through the Oscar-winning Documentary Short Film, The Elephant Whisperers.