Karnataka - Hassan   

Permission given for capture of elephants

HASSAN: Deputy Conservator of Forests Ambadi Madhava has told The Hindu that the Government has given the department permission to capture five wild elephants in Alur taluk and that the operation will start by December-end. The order was received on Monday, he said and added that after capturing them, they would be sent to the Nagarahole camp where they would be tamed and trained. He said there were 30 elephants in Alur taluk in a forest area of around 300 acres. Owing to shortage of space, food and drinking water, they inadvertently came into contact with human beings. A central survey team that visited the taluk a few months ago had advised the Union Government to have these elephants relocated to a more convenient place.

This decision came about after several elephants attacked a farm recently and an elephant was electrocuted. A baby elephant was trapped in a pond on Tuesday, leading to discussions on the safety of farmlands as well as the animals in the taluk.

When the three-year-old baby elephant fell into the pond, the village residents, instead of helping it come out, were seen teasing it. The residents were seen waving towels at the elephant in an effort to taunt it. Although the elephant did manage, on several occasions, to reach a position where it could have been pulled out by the residents, they were not interested in helping it.

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