COIMBATORE: Two kumki elephants have been brought in as part of the bid to capture a wild elephant nicknamed 'Rolex' which is suspected of killing two people in July.
The kumkis, named Narasimman and Muthu, were brought from the Kozhikamuthi elephant camp at Kembanur in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR). They arrived at the Kozhikamuthi elephant camp in Dhaliyur near Thondamuthur at 12.30 am on Saturday on two separate trucks.
Their mahouts and cavadis are accompanying them. The kumkis and their handlers are now stationed at a private property.
Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra had issued an order for the capture of Rolex.
Veterinary assistant surgeons K Vijayaragavan of ATR and S Vennila of the Coimbatore forest division are also monitoring the health of the animal with the help of elephant trackers.
"Currently, the elephant is roaming along Narasipuram and Devarayapuram. It has been claimed it killed a tribal woman in the Boluvampatti forest range and another person in Coimbatore forest range in July," said a senior official of the Coimbatore forest division.
The animal is behaving aggressively due to hormonal changes. It tends to charge at our staff as they approach it to chase it back inside the forest, he added.
"After capture, we plan to shift him to the Varagaliyar elephant camp where he will be tamed in a kraal (a wooden enclosure) for a minimum of three weeks and up to a month. Thereafter, it will be 'soft-released' again inside the forest," the officer disclosed.
If it is soft-released, it would be the second such instance of a wild elephant in the state. On December 28, 2024, the Cherambadi tusker (CT16), which is locally called 'Bullet, was captured and tamed with the help of kumkis and then released inside the ATR forest.
The Tamil Nadu forest department plans to tame Rolex within a year.
Elephant trackers from ATR have started tracking its movement.
(Soft-release: Gradual release in stages by supporting and feeding a wild animal in an enclosure in the area where it will be released into before being released there completely.)