COIMBATORE: The Forest Department’s efforts to lure Rivaldo, the 40-year-old elephant, towards Theppakadu elephant camp suffered a setback on Thursday evening, when the jumbo hightailed into the forest.
The tusker, which was following a trail of treats left by forest staff on the way to the campsite in Masinagudi, gave them the slip after cooling off at a river.
"There were doubts as to whether Rivaldo would enter the core area of MTR where the camp is located, as he typically does not use the habitat,” said an official. “Our fears came true when he made off into the forest, even under the watchful eyes of the forest staff." The Forest Department has started a search for the missing animal.
Starting Tuesday, the jumbo was being led to Theppakadu camp using fruits and sugarcane — its favourites — strewn along the route. Forest officials said that progress was slow, but steady, till Thursday evening. They had decided not to sedate the elephant for transporting it to the camp due to health issues in its trunk.
Watch on ‘Shankar’
Meanwhile, Nilgiri District Forest Department officials said that wild elephant ‘Shankar’, which was involved in the deaths of three people in Gudalur forest division last December, had entered Tamil Nadu once again from Kerala. Officials said the jumbo, which recently crossed the border near Gudalur, would be captured using two kumkis from the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. The elephant would then be turned into a captive animal at the Theppakadu elephant camp.