Arikomban scares people in Tamil Nadu's Theni; massive hunt on to capture the jumbo

The elephant has so far killed 11 people and damaged over 300 houses in Kerala

Just a mention of Arikomban is enough to spell terror in Chinnakanal in Kerala’s Idukki district for the elephant has so far killed 11 people and damaged over 300 houses in the area.

For the past few days, the 35-year-old tusker, known for its ferocious nature and love for food, is keeping residents of Cumbum town and adjoining areas in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district on tenterhooks after it was translocated from Kerala following an order from the Kerala High Court.

The elephant was first found in Cumbum town on May 27, almost a month after it was translocated by the Kerala Forest Department to the Periyar Tiger Reserve, causing panic among the people. 65-year-old Paulraj, who sustained injuries while trying to save his life after the tusker ran amok in Cumbum, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday.

As people continue to live in fear, the Tamil Nadu government has mounted massive efforts, including deploying three kumki elephants and 190 forest personnel, to locate Arikomban and catch him before he goes berserk again.

Read | Rogue tusker 'Arikomban' chased from inhabited area in Kerala

A senior government official told DH that the elephant’s movement is monitored through signals emitted from the radio collar fitted on the tusker after it was translocated. “We are on alert and we have mobilised forest personnel from across Tamil Nadu to help find the elephant’s location and relocate it,” the official said.

The official added that three kumki elephants – Suyambu, Muthu, and Udhayan trained to capture and tame wild tuskers – have already been brought from elephant camps in Topslip and Mudumalai and are assisting in the operation.

Another official said efforts are on to ensure that the elephant is captured without tranquilising it. “But if the tusker strays into human habitation or goes berserk once again, we will have no option but to tranquilise the elephant. We are on the job and we believe the mission will be successful very soon,” the second official quoted said.

Besides setting up a central control room at Cumbum to ensure overall coordination, the government has imposed Section 144 in Cumbum, constituted a committee headed by the Field Director and Chief Conservator of Forests, Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve (SMTR), and has deployed a team of veterinarians supported by 16 elephant trackers from other tiger reserves in the state.

Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary (Environment and Forests), said separate teams for logistics, Kumki handling, resource mobilization and other requirements have formed to operate round the clock, while another team is monitoring with the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board to ensure safe passage of elephant in a bid to prevent electrocution.

Arikomban -- Ari (rice) and komban (elephant) in Malayalam – was translocated 100 km from Idukki to Periyar Tiger Reserve after protests from locals, but the elephant strayed from the area and entered human habitat in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.