ERODE: Karuppan, a tusker that has been raiding crops and damaging properties in Thalavadi, Hasanur and Jeerahalli villages in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), was tranquilised and captured on Monday morning.
S Sathish, ranger of Thalavadi, said, “Kumkis Mariyappan and Chinnathambi were brought to Thalavadi from Mudumalai Tiger Reserve on Friday. After this, the movement of Karuppan was monitored. A team of about 100 people, including forest rangers, Veterinarians, led by STR Deputy Director Devendra Kumar Meena, was involved in the operation.”
“Around 8 pm on Sunday, the elephant entered a sugarcane plantation near the Maharajan Puram check post in Thalavadi. Early on Monday, veterinarians shot darts and after ensuring that the elephant was in a semi-conscious state, it was tied with ropes. With help of Kumki elephants, Karuppan was loaded into a truck,” he added.
“Karuppan tried to escape while trying to get into the truck. However, with the help of kumki Mariappan, we thwarted its attempt. There was even a small conflict between Mariappan and Karuppan in this effort. He has so far killed two people besides damaging agricultural crops. People are now relieved,” a forest officer of STR said.
STR field director K Rajkumar said, “There is no plan to turn Karuppan into a kumki. He was released deep in the Thattakarai forest in Bargur hills near the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border. He has been fitted with a radio collar and we will monitor his movements.”
The forest department launched the operation to capture the elephant on January 12 and attempts were made to capture it for a week, but the elephant escaped. The operation to capture Karuppan resumed in March and kumkis Bomman and Sujay were brought from MTR. “The elephant was shot with darts five more times in the Thalavadi forest range on different dates, but escaped,” forest officials said.
Elephant enters house in search of food and water
Coimbatore: An elephant in search of water and food tried to enter a house in Varapalayam on Sunday. According to sources, the tusker broke the door in the house of S Ganesh, a farmer. It managed to put its head and feet inside the house but got stuck in the doorway.
Earlier, the elephant, believed to be 15 years old, damaged five banana plantains on the farm.
A forest department official said, “The animal is new to the Coimbatore forest range and we suspect it could have come from Kerala. Though the front line staff were engaged in duty on Sunday night to divert elephants entering farmlands, we did not receive any information.”