A six-year-old elephant calf was today injured when a country-made firecracker burst in its mouth at nearby Thudiyalur, police said.
The calf had strayed into a farm last night and picked up the firecracker, planted to scare away wild animals. It burst when the animal chewed on it, they said.
Hearing the explosion, some farmers went there and saw the injured calf running back into the forest.
Forest department officials rushed to the spot to treat the injured calf, they said, adding a search was on to locate calf.