IDUKKI: The forest department’s mission to capture and translocate rogue tusker Arikomban is on hold again. Though the Kerala High Court gave the nod to relocate the elephant from Chinnakkanal in Idukki to Parambikulam in Palakkad after staying it twice, the department has been unable to proceed owing to the delay in getting the GPS radio collar from Assam.
The department has a GSM radio collar device. However, it cannot be used to trace the jumbo in Parambikulam. It is learnt that the Assam forest department could not get the chief wildlife warden’s nod to hand over the device to Kerala.
However, Assistant Conservator of Forest Shantri Tom on Monday said the radio collar will be delivered from Assam within a day or two. “The special rapid response team from Wayanad continues to camp in Chinnakkanal. Upon getting the collar, we will capture the jumbo,” he said.
The 4 kumki elephants – Surendran, Surya, Kunju and Vikram – which were brought for the drive are also in Chinnakkanal, and are being cared for by the mahouts that brought them from Wayanad.
The tusker is roaming in locations nearby Cement Palam and 301 Colony, where the mission will be executed. So, forest officials hope to tranquilise and capture the jumbo as soon as they get their hands on the tracking device.