ERODE: The Forest department deployed two kumki elephants to drive away the lone tusker ‘Karuppan’ who intruded on the villages adjacent to the Hasanur Forest Range in Erode district.As per officials, over the past month, wild elephants have been damaging the crops in villages near Hasanur and Thalavadi Forest Ranges along with the increased movement of lone tuskers.
Recently, the tusker Karuppan is roaming frequently in the villages in the Hasanur Forest Range. Following several complaints, forest officials have deployed two kumki elephants to drive away the jumbo.
A forest official said, “Both residents and motorists are afraid of the elephant, as he is frequently seen on the main roads. In November, a person died in an jumbo attack in Doddagajanur area.”“Two kumki elephants, Chinnathambi and Ramu, have been brought from the elephant camp at Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) to Hassanur on Thursday night. On Saturday, both the elephants were brought down to the field. They will stay in the village for over a month to chase away Karuppan into the forest,” he added.