Thiruvananthapuram: A team of forest officials from Kerala who were tracking wild-elephant 'Belur Makhna' was allegedly stopped by Karnataka officials at the Bavali check-post in Kerala-Karnataka border on Tuesday night.
Forest department sources said that the issue would be taken up at a meeting of the recently formed government secretary-level committee of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu that was formed recently to coordinate wild animal related issues. The committee is planning to meet on February 23.
A team of forest officials and darting experts have been tracking 'Belur Makha' since February 10 after it killed a farmer at Mananthavady in Wayanad. By Monday the elephant reportedly entered the forest areas of Bairakuppa in Karnataka. Hence a team of Kerala forest officials involved in the mission proceeded to the region. But the forest team was stopped by officials of Karnataka at the Bavali checkpost.
"The officials at the Karnataka checkpost said that they got instructions from the top not to allow vehicles of Kerala forest officials," a top forest official of Wayanad told DH.
The Kerala forest officials were also learnt to have taken a video of being stopped at Karnataka checkpost.
'Belur Makhna' was captured by Karnataka forest officials from Hassan and translocated to Bandipur forest region after fixing a radio collar last November.
Published 21 February 2024, 12:34 IST