The Forest Department on Thursday night deployed two kumki (tamed/trained) elephants, Nanjan and Pari, at Kuppepalayam near Thondamuthur to send back the lone female elephant and a herd deep into the forests.
For the last ten days, the herd and the lone elephant have been straying out of the forests and two days ago, the female elephant trampled a 55-year-old woman to death.
This resulted in public outrage leading to road blockade and picketing of a police station. Irate residents demanded that the “troublesome” elephants should be chased into the forests.
To end the menace, District Forest Officer M. Senthilkumar and Range Officer C. Dinesh Kumar deployed the kumkis from Chadivayal camp.
Ever since the kumkis were deployed, the elephant and the herd had not strayed into habitations. Mr.Senthil Kumar said that the very presence of the kumki elephants and their domesticated scent would avert the wild elephants from entering the area. With more personnel and logistics, the department would continue the vigil. Special teams were already on the job of tracking the herd and the female elephant, he added.
