Karnataka   

Wild elephant captured in Kodagu

DUBARE ELEPHANT CAMP (KODAGU DT.): A five-day hunt to capture a wild elephant ended dramatically in the Maldare forest area in Kodagu on Tuesday with the capture of the animal by Forest Department officials.

This came as a relief to the people of Maldare. The operation to track and capture four elephants began with a puja here on December 10. The elephant caught on Tuesday is said to have killed five persons in and around Maldare recently.

The team comprising Forest Department officials and veterinarians sighted the elephant at Avaregunda at 1.45 p.m. Darted by expert Venkatesh at around 2 p.m., the animal fell down at 2.15 p.m. Operations to tie it up by the four kumkis (tamed elephants) then began. The animal was revived at 3 p.m., J.L. Srinivas, veterinarian, told The Hindu.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) granted permission to capture four elephants in Kodagu recently and today’s capture was the first.

The catch was not before some anxious moments for the elephants and the mahouts who were atop the kumkis, Abhimanyu and Gajendra. Two kumkis were injured in the first attack by a wild elephant at Mavukalbetta on Monday, Range Forest Officer M.S. Chinnappa, said.

Again, at a place called Ammale, another wild tusker suddenly rushed to attack the kumkis but its attempt was foiled and the elephant fled the spot by evening.

Efforts to dart both the elephants went in vain, Dr. Srinivas said. “The team had not sighted any elephant for the first five days and we were worried,” he said.

Meanwhile, two kumkis, Mayura and Lakshmana, fled the scene after being attacked by a wild tusker. They were later spotted at Kallalla gate on Tuesday evening. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests had granted permission to capture four elephants based on the letter written by the Conservator of Forests, Kodagu Circle, G.A. Sudarshan recently. Permission to capture two more elephants is likely to be given soon.

The tusks of the captured elephant were blunted by Forest Department officials who filed their sharp edges. Rajesh, who joined as Forester recently, said it was an exciting experience though he was anxious in the initial stages. The elephant was seen resisting its capture by pulling the kumkis from one side to the other all along its six-km march.

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