Kerala Forest darting team goes after rampaging elephant, PT-7, in Palakkad’s Dhoni forest

Forest officials said efforts were on to coax PT-7 to a place where it can be tranquilized and guided into a lorry with the help of kumki elephants

Bharathan, one of the two kumki elephants from Wayanad at Dhoni forest. A 22- member task force, along with two kumki elephants from Wayanad is in Palakkad in an effort to capture and tame PT-7, the wild tusker that had been on the rampage in Dhoni | Photo Credit: MUSTAFAH KK

A large forest team led by Chief Forest Veterinary Officer Arun Zachariah on Saturday morning launched an operation to capture Palakkad Tusker-7 (PT-7), a rogue elephant that has been terrorising Dhoni and neighbouring villages for the past two years.

Although the tracking team could locate PT-7, the elephant kept moving into the forest, making it hard for Dr. Zachariah and his team to dart it with tranquilizer.

Tranquilize and transport

Forest officials said efforts were on to coax PT-7 to a place where it can be tranquilized and guided into a lorry with the help of kumki elephants. Three kumkis named Surendran, Bharathan and Vikram have joined the mission.

The topography of Dhoni forest, according to officials, is making the mission hard. The steepness of the terrain is not ideal for an elephant capturing mission, they said.

Rampaging tusker

A posse of police personnel was also deployed at Dhoni considering the size and significance of the operation. The people of Dhoni and neighbouring villages have been living in terror for months on end as PT-7 continually raided their farmlands and residential areas. The elephant destroyed a portion of paddy at Dhoni even on Friday night.

Figures available with the Forest Department show that PT-7 remained out of the forest for more than 180 days of the last one year. “PT-7 was responsible for more than 90 per cent of the elephant conflicts in the region,” said Dr. Zachariah.

Suspected leader

Acting like a leader, PT-7, presumably 20 years old, used to attract other elephants also in its frequent raids. PT-7 was suspected to be the elephant that trampled a 60-year-old man to death at Dhoni in July last year. Following persistent demand from the people, the Forest authorities decided to capture and tame PT-7.

Once captured, it will be put in a kraal for taming. After taming it, PT-7 will be converted into a kumki elephant that can be used for helping the forest staff.

A new kraal in Dhoni

The kraal that was set up at Muthanga to tame PT-7 after its capture from Dhoni forests in Palakkad

A kraal was initially constructed at Muthanga in Wayanad for housing PT-7 as the initial plan was to shift the elephant from Dhoni to Muthanga. Since this was deemed risky, a new kraal has been set up at Dhoni for the confinement of PT-7.

More than seven dozen eucalyptus trees were cut down to build the kraal that measures 18 ft in height and 15 ft in length and width. With a six foot deep foundation, the kraal is designed in such a way as not only to withstand the wrath of the wild tusker, but also to protect the animal from getting injured, as eucalyptus wood has great compressive strength.

Why eucalyptus?

The Forest Department turned to eucalyptus for building the kraal not only because of the availability of the straight, large trees, but also because of its compressive strength.

Heavy logs of kambakam (Hopea parviflora) were traditionally used for kraal making in the country. The shortage of kambakam, popularly known as the Iron Wood of Malabar, has prompted the Forest Department to find an alternative in eucalyptus.

Like kambakam, eucalyptus too does not splinter on heavy impact. Because of its compressive character, eucalyptus prevents the wild elephant from getting injured when it hits the kraal. If it is teak or any other hardwood, the tusker will get injured.