The Forest Department has decided to capture a lone tusker that is believed to so far have trampled to death three persons and left one injured in areas near Pollachi in the limits of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR).
Additional Principal Conservator of Forests Debasis Jana, (Chief Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore Circle, also in-charge as Field Director of the ATR), told The Hindu that the Chief Wildlife Warden issued an order late on Saturday to tranquillise and capture the wild elephant.
The department was concerned about the human lives lost in the attack of the wild elephant, he said.
The tusker allegedly trampled two persons in May and a man on Saturday night and left a woman injured on Sunday morning.
While T. Radhakrishnan, 45, from Arthanaripalayam near Pollachi died late on Saturday, Thirumathal, 65, who resides one km away, was attacked by the same elephant on Sunday morning.
Radhakrishnan was trampled to death by the tusker around 10.30 p.m. when he had come out of his residence. Thirumathal was attacked when she had come out of her house to milk the cow early on Sunday. She suffered a deep wound after one of the tusks of the elephant pierced her. Her hand was also fractured. She was admitted to a private hospital in Coimbatore city.
Villagers stage protest
Following the two attacks, villagers staged a protest in the locality on Sunday morning, demanding that the Forest Department capture and translocate the elephant.
While on May 24, M. Ranjana, 7, from a tribal settlement at Navamalai, also daughter of an Anti-Poaching Watcher (APW) of the Forest Department, was trampled to death by the tusker, K. Mahali, 65, from the settlement was killed on May 25.
Mr. Jana said that preparations to tranquillise and capture the elephant started on Sunday morning. Various teams such as veterinary surgeons, senior forest officials, APWs, ‘kumkis’ (trained elephant) and their handlers will be stationed at Arthanaripalayam by Sunday afternoon.
“The elephant is very fast and agile. It comes out of forest only in the night. The teams will have to wait for the right moment to tranquillise the elephant,” he said.
While one ‘kumki’ from Chadivayal elephant camp was sent to Arthanaripalayam on Sunday morning, arrangements were made to bring three ‘kumkis’ to the place from the elephant camp at Topslip.
After capture, the elephant is likely to be shifted to one of the camps of the Forest Department.
