Dasara jumbos help catch stray elephant from TN
Forest department personnel, with the help of Dasara elephants, rescued the elephant which had strayed from Tamil Nadu and attacked two farmers at Padagur in the taluk on Thursday.
Forest personnel of Bandipur range started the operation on Wednesday, with the help of Dasara elephant Abhimanyu, Gopalaswamy, Ganesh and Krishna.
The elephant was tranquilised at 10.35 am at Ingalavadi. But it went on a rampage and damaged three two-wheelers and continued raiding crops. According to the officials, the elephant travelled three km after being tranquilised. The forest personnel managed to rescue the animal from a farmland at Padagur.
The elephant was mounted on a truck, using a crane, at 1 pm. Later, it was shifted to the Dubare elephant camp.
The elephant, which had strayed into the villages from neighbouring Tamil Nadu, had attacked two farmers in Shivapura and Hangala villages in the taluk, on Monday. Though Karnataka Forest officials urged for support, TN officials refused to extend cooperation for the rescue operation.
According to sources, the tusker, which had created panic in Krishnagiri district, after trampling several persons to death, was rescued by Tamil Nadu Forest department near Hosur in August. A radio-collar was fixed and it was released into Mudumalai forests. However, the officials could not track its movement, due to a malfunction in the radio-collar. It was spotted on the periphery of the Bandipur forest a month ago, according to officials.