After an over two-week-long operation, the elephant Pandalur makhna 2 (PM2) was successfully captured by the Forest Department on Thursday and relocated to a new home in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), away from human habitations.
The elephant, which is alleged to have damaged 78 houses in the Gudalur and Pandalur taluks while searching for food, caused the death of one person and injured two others when a house it raided collapsed in November.
Orders to capture and relocate the elephant were passed by the office of the Chief Wildlife Warden on November 21. As it had initially attached itself to a large herd on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, the forest officials were unable to dart it due to safety concerns. Over the last week, the animal had been traced to Valavayal and Puliyampara in the Gudalur and Pandalur forest ranges.
Four kumkis – two in each location - had been stationed to quickly get to the animal once it was tranquilised. Tracking teams, armed with drone cameras, had noticed the footprints of two elephants and honed in on PM2’s location on Thursday. A team of doctors had been stationed in a ‘machaan’ (a hideout atop a tree) to dart and tranquilise PM2 and, around afternoon, a forest veterinarian attached to the Theppakadu Elephant Camp successfully darted it in Puliyampara near Gudalur. Once it was tranquilised, the four kumkis, brought in from the Theppakadu camp, managed to reach the location and restrain the animal using ropes.
D. Venkatesh, Conservator of Forests (Nilgiris), said a radio-collar would be attached to PM2 prior to his release in the Congressmattam area in MTR. “A team tracking the movement of another elephant, Rivaldo, who has also been radio-collared, will monitor PM2 and ensure that he stays away from human habitations,” Mr. Venkatesh said.
“We have noted that the animal has a very small home range, restricted to a few villages in Gudalur. We hope that, due to this particular behavioural aspect, it does not stray outside the reserve,” Mr. Venkatesh said.
The animal will be closely monitored and, if required, driven into the interior area of MTR if it strays too close to human settlements following its release.
Forest Minister K. Ramachandran appreciated the efforts of Mr. Venkatesh, District Forest Officer Kommu Omkaram and forest staff, including guards, anti-poaching watchers and veterinarians who, he said, had worked tirelessly to ensure that the elephant was safely captured and relocated.
