Day-long mission to translocate wild elephant in Kerala

Kerala on Saturday witnessed a major mission by the forest department to translocate a wild tusker 'Arikomban' from Chinnakanal near Munnar in Idukki district.

After hours long effort the elephant was darted and shifted to a truck-turned animal ambulance and was being translocated to another spot.

Fearing possible resentment from people the forest authorities did not disclose the place to which the tusker is being shifted. It was learnt that the tusker was being shifted to a location near the Periyar Tiger reserve in Idukki district itself, about 120 kilometres from Chinnakanal.

Also Read: Youth killed in wild elephant attack in Kerala

The elephant aged around 25 is being translocated considering the strong demand of the people of Chinnakanal as the wild elephant had been causing destruction in human settlements. Several persons were also killed over the years.

The day's mission began by around 6 am. 'Arikomban' was in a hilly terrain. It was brought to the location identified for the mission by bursting crackers. A team led by chief veterinary surgeon Dr. Arun Zachariah tranquilised the tusker by around 12 noon. Around five rounds of booster doses were required to tranquilise the elephant. Presence of another wild elephant, named 'Chakkakomban', made the operation more risky.

Subsequently four trained elephants ('kumkis') took position around 'Arikomaban'. Its legs were latched and a GPS based radio colar was fixed.

By around 5 pm four kumkis pushed 'Arikomban' to enter the truck. In between 'Arikomban' made resistance bids. Heavy rains in the locality also made the mission more tedious.

Later, the translocation of the elephant began with a long convoy comprising of senior forest department officials. The mission is likely to be over only by wee hours on Sunday.

Earlier a plan to translocate the elephant to Parambikulam forest area in Palakkad met with stiff resistance from the people of that locality. Hence the forest department did not disclose the fresh location identified for shifting the elephant. But a prohibitory order imposed by the district administration in the Kumily region near the Periyar Tiger Reserve by Saturday afternoon had led to assumptions that 'Arikomban' is being translocated to a nearby location.

Though the initial plan of the forest department was to tame the elephant, animal rights activists approached court against it and the court objected to taming the wild elephant. Subsequently it was decided to translocate the elephant.

Animal rights activists pointed out that even as one wild elephant is translocated from a region, other elephants would continue to pose threats. Hence the lasting solution to man-animal conflicts would be to identify the real causes for the issues and take corrective measures.