A female elephant has drowned in Ken river in Panna National Park, leaving behind a mammoth puzzle for the park management because elephants are known to be strong, untiring swimmers.
Named Vindhya, the elephant was born in Panna Tiger Reserve in 2002. Its carcass was seen floating in Ken river on Saturday. It was brought to the shore, and foresters began one of their most interesting investigations ever.
"Prima facie, the cause of death appears to be drowning. After the carcass was fished out, an autopsy was conducted on the spot. We are awaiting the final report to ascertain exact cause of the death," director of Panna National Park, Vivek Jain, said.
Vindhya was one of three elephants used for patrolling the jungle. All three were kept at Peepertola, a jungle camp inside the park. They were fed and were freed to move around on September 9, Jain said. Around 3pm, two elephants were seen near the river but Vindhya was missing. Later in the evening, its carcass was found in the river.
The drowning is very mysterious because elephants are said to be good in water. Their big body provides flotation while the trunk acts like a snorkel. By moving all four legs like paddles, they swim quite fast. In July this year, an elephant was rescued by Sri Lankan Navy 15km into the deep ocean.
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