The Forest Department has made all arrangements for the capture of wild elephant Chinna Thambi, which has been halting in agricultural fields near Udumalpet for a fortnight.
V. Ganesan, Field Director of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) said that all arrangements have been made to capture the elephant on Friday after the Madras High Court ordered the Forest Department to capture it on Wednesday.
“The elephant will be captured and shifted to Kozhikamuthi elephant camp at Top Slip,” said Mr. Ganesan. The translocated elephant from Thadagam in Coimbatore was closely observed by the the Forest Department on Thursday.
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The elephant halted within a 100 metre radius at Kannadipudur, near Udumalpet, on Thursday.
The elephant moved between sugarcane and banana fields while a large number of people gathered at the place to have a glimpse of the animal.
According to forest officials, the elephant has been exhibiting peculiar routine at the human habitation.
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The elephant slept inside the sugarcane field from early morning to 3.30 p.m. Later, it walked out of the sugarcane field and ate banana trees from a nearby field. “The elephant has been following the same routine for the last three days,” said an official.
The department on Thursday used a drone to spot the location of the elephant inside the sugarcane field. A senior official said that the drone will be used on Friday to spot the location of the elephant before starting the operation.
The department has plans to bring the elephant out of the sugarcane field on Friday by luring it with a jackfruit. This was successfully tested on Thursday as Chinna Thambi gave a break to his sleep and came out of the sugarcane field when the staff took a jackfruit close to the animal.
The department will resort to the same technique on Friday to lure it for darting the tranquilliser.
As news about the presence of the wild elephant and kumkis spread, people from various parts of Udumalpet and Dindigul thronged the sugarcane field.
The two kumkis that halted at the place, Khaleem and Suyambu, attracted large crowds.
The department staff faced a tough time in handling the crowd, which thronged the area.
The swampy sugarcane field is posing a challenge to the Forest Department to tranquillise the elephant.
A senior official said that even kumkis were afraid to step into the sugarcane field as their legs get fully immersed in the swampy area. The department has plans to lure the wild elephant out of the sugarcane field with a jackfruit and dart it in a dry field.
Vehicle from Wayanad
Officials said that a specially designed truck from Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala will be brought to Udumalpet on Friday. The truck has facilities to drag the elephant to the specially designed compartment of the truck for translocation, they added.