Heart-rending video shows elephant calf crying over dead mother in Coimbatore forest

July 7, 2016, NewsCrunch

Forest officials struggled to separate an elephant calf grieving over its dead mother in a forest on the outskirts of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.

A video, which went viral, shows the baby elephant desperately clinging on to its mother.

Media reports said five elephants had died in the forest in the last two weeks.

There are differences of opinion over the cause of the deaths. The Times of Indiaquoted an IISc professor Raman Sukumar saying it was not unusual for elephants to die of natural causes.

About 2% of subadult and adult female elephants to die every year on an average due to natural causes, he said.

He also said illegal dumping of garbage close to elephant corridors could also be behind frequent deaths. The animals reportedly feed on the garbage and suffer adverse consequences on their digestive system.