Kerala HC stays capturing of wild elephant

The Kerala High Court has stayed the capturing of a wild elephant in Idukki district of Kerala.

Considering the petitions filed by animal rights forums, the court held a special session on Thursday evening and stayed till next Wednesday the forest department's plans to capture the wild elephant.

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The forest department was planning to capture the elephant on Sunday and elaborate arrangements were being made. The elephant was called 'Arikomabam' ('Ari' means rice in Malayalam and 'Komban' means tusker) as it often took rice from human settlements in Chinnakanal near the Munnar tourist spot.

Apart from causing destruction to properties, the elephant also claimed many lives over the years. Hence, the forest department decided to capture it.

However, the back-to-back capturing of wild animals in the state has triggered resentment among animal rights activists.

It is the third such operation in the state to capture wild elephants in the last three months.