Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Forest Department has continued on Friday its attempts to capture a rogue elephant that has been terrorising villages in Idukki for the last five years.
The tusker Arikomban, named after its habit of raiding shops for rice, remains elusive.
The forest department made arrangements for tranquilizing the elephant that ransacked shops in the villages of Chinnakanal and Santhanpara in the district and prohibitory orders have been clamped in the select wards of both panchayats, according to The Indian Express
Kottayam DFO N Rajesh reportedly said efforts to capture the tusker would continue on Saturday if Friday’s efforts proved unsuccessful.
Officials have planned to tranquilise and radio-collar the elephant, before shifting it to another forest according to the directive of the Kerala High Court.
Following sighting of the elephant as reported by a police response team, officials began the operations at 4.30 am at Chinnakanal in the district.
The tracking teams could not locate the tusker among a herd of elephants in the forest.
Meanwhile, the forest department and the Idukki district administration on Thursday conducted a mock drill with a team of 150 officials and four kumki elephants.
On March 25 the forest officials made arrangements including kumki elephants to capture Arikomban, and train it into another Kumki.
But animal rightists intervened, obtaining an interim stay on the forest department’s plan.
The high court asked a five-member expert committee to report to if Arikomban can be captured and turned into a kumki.
The committee recommended to capture, radio-collar and relocate the elephant to the Parambikulam tiger reserve.
The residents of Parambikulam village observed hartal protesting against bringing the tusker to their backyard.
Afterwards the state government approached the Supreme Court against the high court’ directive; however, the Supreme Court refused to interfere in the expert committee’s suggestions.