Chennai: A wild tusker, Arikomban alias Arisi Komban, with a history of trampling of humans and raiding crops, which had moved from Kerala to Tamil Nadu, was tranquilisedearly on Monday by a Forest Department team with the help of veterinarians. The capture of the elephant was celebrated by the people in Theni district at the foothills of the western ghats. Crowds cheered as the tusker was taken in a truck after being captured in the Chinna Ovulapuram reserve forest.
Tusker To Be Translocated To Suitable Habitat
Supriya Sahu, Tamil Nadu Additional Chief Secretary, Forests, said the tusker was safely tranquillised in the early hours of Monday, in Cumbum’s East Range forest by Forest Department veterinary surgeons and other officials. The tusker would be translocated to a suitable habitat where officials will continue to monitor the pachyderm.
At the time of filing this report, late on Monday night, the elephant was being taken in the truck to be released into the whild at Muththukuzhivayal beyond Upper Gothaiyar area in Kalakkad – Tiger Reserve. The elephant was also given a shower midway at Kayathur as it was dehydrated due to the sweltering heat.
En route to its new habitat, local people staged impromptu protests against its relocation fearing it would come downhill to raid crops in their locality. Two public interest litigations were also filed in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court with a plea to direct the Forest Department to translocate the elephant back to its origin State, Kerala, instead of releasing it in Tamil Nadu.
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