PALAKKAD: Seventy-two forest department personnel, three kumki elephants, one target: PT 7 (Palakkad Tusker 7). After an intense operation lasting 10 hours, forest officials led by Chief Veterinary Surgeon Arun Zachariah tranquillised and caged the wild jumbo, which had been giving sleepless nights to residents, on Sunday morning. Sedated in a forest area between Mundur and Dhoni, around 2km away from human habitation, PT 7 was shifted to a kraal (elephant cage) in Dhoni.
The tracking and darting teams had launched efforts to trap the jumbo from dawn on Saturday. However, they could not make any headway as the animal moved into dense forests and stood on steep terrain that made shooting tranquillisers a challenging task.
Confident that the jumbo would return for food, the rapid response team (RRT) camped in the forest for the night. Around 3am on Sunday, forest personnel received information that the elephant was in the Korma area near Mundur. The RRT started monitoring its movements. The elephant entered a teak plantation nearby. The team led by Zachariah reached the spot.
At 7.12am, the first tranquilliser dart was fired. It hit the jumbo near its left earlobe. Startled, PT 7 ran for around 10 minutes before coming to a halt. Realising that one dart was not enough, Zachariah shot another tranquilliser dart at 8.04am. It did the trick. The elephant was sedated.
Team members who were waiting in the bushes and behind trees some 50m to 75m away sprang into action. Led by mahouts, three kumki elephants — Bharath, Vikram and Surendran — that were brought from Muthanga wildlife sanctuary in Wayanad surrounded the jumbo and stood guard as the team covered the motionless animal’s eyes with a black cloth to prevent the sunlight from hitting its eyes and provoking it.
A lorry, crane and JCB were brought near the spot after felling some trees. The kumki elephants took charge. Bharath and Vikram stood on either sides, while Surendran nudged PT 7 from behind, towards the lorry. By 11am, the tusker was loaded onto the lorry. Around 12 noon, the vehicle reached Dhoni.
PT 7 officially named ‘Dhoni’
With the help of the kumki elephants, PT 7 was caged inside the kraal made using logs of eucalyptus trees around 1pm. An anti-tranquilliser dose was administered to help the elephant return to its senses. The operation was a success.
“The f ac t that PT 7 did not turn violent after being tranquillised was a blessing,” said Ranjith Bhasker, Assistant Conservator of Forests who coordinated the operation. The 72-member team included 25 forest personnel from Wayanad. At the end of the operation, PT 7 was officially named ‘Dhoni’ by Forest Minister A K Saseendran, after the place where it had spread panic for seven months.
Troublesome mammal
As it happened on Sunday
3am: Forest personnel receive information that PT 7 is in Korma near Mundur. RRT tracks the jumbo as it enters a teak plantation. Chief Veterinary Surgeon Arun Zachariah and team reach the spot
7.12am: First tranquilliser dart is fired, hits the jumbo near its left earlobe
8.04am: Second tranquilliser dart is fired. The jumbo is sedated. Kumki elephants stand guard and then escort the animal to the lorry
11am: PT 7 is loaded onto the lorry
Noon: Lorry reaches Dhoni
1pm: PT 7 is caged in the kraal
Kumki elephants (1,2,3) and forest department personnel leading wild jumbo PT 7, whose eyes were covered with a black cloth, to the lorry after it was tranquillised near Mundur on Sunday
One kill: On July 8 last year, PT 7 killed a person near Dhoni. Sivaraman was out for a morning walk when he saw the jumbo and ran into the paddy fields nearby. The animal chased and gored him