UDHAGAMANDALAM: In the wake of three estate workers being trampled to death by an elephant in Nilgiris district in the last one week, forest department officials today shot a tranquiliser dart at a wild tusker near Pandalur, some 80 km from here.
Bowing to pressure from the public, who are agitated over the increasing man-animal conflicts, the department today brought four kumkis (tamed elephants) from Mudumalai camp, to trace and capture the rogue elephant.
As the officials were in the middle of operations at mangorange near Pandalur, an elephant suddenly appeared and attempted to attack one of the Kumkis. Forest officials fired a tranquiliser dart at the elephant, which ran into the jungles.
While the officials were searching for the elephant, they noticed another jumbo moving around. One of its tusks was half-broken, forest department veterinarian, Dr Vijayaraghavan said. Officials are monitoring its movement suspecting that it might have attacked the estate workers and killed them, he added.
A search is still on for the other pachyderm as it might have fallen unconscious somewhere, officials said.