Kandy – The carcass of a seven-month-old baby elephant was found in a barren paddy field of Pitigala off Hunnasgiriya bordering the forest reserve of Randenigala on Sunday.

Villagers informed the Wild Life Department and officials, have commenced investigations.

The death of the baby was a mystery since no external injuries were visible. Only the postmortem examination that follows would determine the cause of death, Wild Life Department officials said.

Pitigoda is a village bordering the forest reserves of the Mahaweli Development region.

Meanwhile, according to the villagers, the herd of adult elephants are roaming about in the forest in close proximity to the spot where the dead baby elephant was found.