Translocated wild elephant Chinna Thambi stationed itself near the Amaravathi Cooperative Sugar Mills at Krishnapuram near Udumalpet on Sunday.
Officials with the forest department said that the elephant was moving within a one km radius of the mill on Sunday evening. The elephant had moved towards Amaravathi river on Thursday and Friday.
It returned to the premises of the mill late on Saturday. At one point, Chinna Thambi had chased kumkis Khaleem and Mariappan on Saturday, a video of which went viral.
Following this, Mariappan was sent back to Top Slip elephant camp of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) late on Saturday. According to officials, Mariappan became hesitant to drive out Chinna Thambi after it was chased. To replace Mariappan, the forest department on Sunday brought another kumki from ATR Suyambu to Krishnapuram.
C. Dhanabalan, Forest Range Officer of Udumalpet range, said that around 100 staff were camping near the sugar mill to monitor Chinna Thambi.
Meanwhile, the Madras High Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a public interest litigation filed by the non-governmental organisation People for Cattle in India seeking to restrain the Forest department from capturing, taming, tranquillising or harming the wild elephant.
The Forest Department is expected to submit an expert opinion before the court on the wild elephant which it sought from elephant expert Ajay Desai, a consultant to the WWF-India.
