JOIN USWild tusker Arikomban freed into dense forest in Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
Arikomban, the wild elephant which was tranquilised and captured by Tamil Nadu Forest Department officials after a nine-day chase, was on Tuesday translocated to deep forests inside the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR).
The 35-year-old elephant was captured after firing two tranquiliser shots in the early hours of Monday by a special team. On Monday evening, the elephant was taken from Cumbum in the Theni district to the KMTR area in a specially-designed ambulance to be let into the forests.
Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary (Environment and Forests), said the elephant was successfully translocated to a dense forest area in the Kalakkad Mundunthurai Tiger Reserve.
“The pristine habitat has dense forests and plenty of water availability. The elephant is active and feeding well. Radio collar signals are being received,” Sahu added.
A team of 10 anti-poaching watchers, forest range officers and two Deputy Directors are keeping a watch on the elephant’s health and movements under the supervision of veterinary surgeons and senior officers, she added.
The elephant, which was translocated from Kerala, was first found in Cumbum town on May 27, 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 last week.
Since the elephant’s movements created panic, the TN government mounted massive efforts to catch the elephant without tranquilising it. However, officials had to fire two shots of tranquiliser since it was evading and changing its location very frequently.
Three kumki elephants – Suyambu, Muthu, and Udhayan trained to capture and tame wild tuskers -- brought from elephant camps in Topslip and Mudumalai helped Arikomban board the truck owned by the Forest Department after it was sedated and subsequently captured.
Arikomban -- Ari (rice) and komban (elephant) in Malayalam – was in April translocated 100 km to Periyar Tiger Reserve after protests from locals in Chinnakanal in Idukki district where it has so far killed 11 persons and damaged 300 houses, but the elephant strayed from the area and entered human habitat in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.