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The elephant, Rajesh had been left in the forest, tied with chains and a hook and was thus unable to defend himself from the attack and sustained serious head injuries.
Rajesh was attacked by the two tuskers despite sustained efforts by mahouts to divert them. Veterinary doctors were called in from Shivamogga to attend to his injuries but the time lapse proved costly for Rajesh.
Meanwhile, Rajesh’s death has raised questions on why the camp elephant was tied in the forest with no protection especially when he was in a state of musth and thus would have attracted other elephants. The absence of dedicated veterinary care at the tiger reserve too has come under question as this is the second such case wherein a camp elephant died in such a serious attack by wild elephants.