HASSAN/BENGALURU: One of the most popular and preferred tuskers of the Karnataka Forest Department, also called the royal tusker or the howdah elephant - Arjuna -- died on the spot on Monday morning during a kumkhi (wild elephant rescue) operation in Hassan.
Experts, veterinarians and forest officials said while attacks on camp elephants are reported across India, the death of an elephant when attacked by a wild tusker is not common. Such an incident has not been reported in the last 20 years or so. Questioning the operation, experts pointed out that the Wildlife Protection Act permits shooting an animal in self-defence, and in this incident, the wild tusker could have been shot when it attacked the camp elephant.
Wild tusker was in heat and charged at Arjuna
Hassan Chief Conservator of Forests Ravishankar told The New Indian Express that Arjuna (64) was the guard of the team of six elephants that was taken to radio collar four wild tuskers in Yeslur range in the Hassan Territorial Division. The wild tusker was in masth (heat) and when surrounded, it got agitated and charged at Arjuna with such aggression and power that the mahout and veterinarian Dr Ramesh were thrown off Arjuna’s back. The two tuskers fought for around 15 minutes.
While the remaining five camp tuskers were herded away from the site, the staffers on the ground fired 15 rounds in the air to stop the fight and scare away the wild elephant, but in vain. Arjuna, who was injured in the neck, stomach and below the ear, collapsed immediately. Staffers, who were part of the operation, said the wild bull charged at Arjuna after Dr Ramesh darted it. There is no special permission given during kumkhi operations and the animal can be shot down. Instead, the permission was given only to fire in the air, they added.
Hassan Deputy Conservator of Forests Mohan Kumar said the tamed elephants failed to counter the wild bull attack. The staffers were carrying double-barrel guns and darting guns for the operation, he added. Hassan has 85 wild elephants in Belur, Alur, Yelsur, Sakleshpur and in coffee estates. During 2014-16, 24 wild elephants were captured. This year, the department was to radio collar nine wild tuskers and three were done. They were shifted to MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, BRT and Bandipur Tiger reserves, while two continue to roam in Hassan. The Monday operation was to radio collar four more and this wild bull was one of them.
Ravishankar said staffers have not been able to go near the carcass of Arjuna as wild elephants have been roaming near the spot. Only after they leave, can department officials approach the area and conduct the postmortem. Arjuna will be laid to rest with full state honours, he added.
Former veterinarians, on condition of anonymity, said, “Even though such operations are risky, there are very few safety measures in place. Anything can happen anytime. It looks like the department has become complacent. Karnataka has been recording the highest number of rescue operations.”
Elephant expert R Sukumar said, “These are dangerous operations, which are on the rise. There is a need to keep kumkhi and Dasara elephants separate. There have been instances in the past where wild tuskers have attacked camp elephants in Karnataka and West Bengal. But in other countries, when such attacks happen, the staffers are well equipped to shoot down the elephant.”
THE ROYAL ELEPHANT