Chamarajanagar: A two-year-old male elephant calf died after a tree fell on it at the Biligiri Ranganatha Tiger (BRT) Reserve on Sept. 15.

The incident occurred in the Karepalya forest area of Punajuru Range. At around 7 am on Sept. 15, Forest Department staff received information that a tree had fallen on the calf.

Forest staff rushed to the spot, confirmed the incident and immediately deployed an earthmover to remove the fallen tree. Staff found the calf in weakened condition.

However, its mother and other elephants in the herd remained close to the calf, preventing veterinarians and Forest Department staff from approaching it to administer treatment.

According to the Deputy Conservator of Forests and Director, BRT Tiger Reserve, Chamarajanagar, the calf’s condition was monitored continuously, but it failed to recover and died at around 4.45 pm on Sept. 16.