Coimbatore: The so-called problematic elephant “Arisi Raja” was finally captured late on Wednesday night and taken to Top Slip-Varagaliyar elephant camp in Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) to train it as a captive elephant.
After a four-day struggle, Forest department staff located the so called problematic elephant ‘Arisi Raja’ with the help of Drone camera on Wednesday evening. They were shocked to see the elephant migrating to Thadaga Naachi peak through Gopalsamy mountain, close to neighboring village of Ardhanaripalayam, which comes under Pollachi forest range in Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR).
Three special teams were following ‘Arisi Raja’ around midnight on Wednesday, when they noticed the elephant moving towards a private farmland in the plains at Aandiyoor.
On a tip-off, a team of forest veterinary doctors comprising doctor Kalaivanan, Sugumar led by Assistant director Manoharan rushed to the spot and tranquilized the elephant, while the two ‘Kumkis’, Kaleem and Kapil Dev, stood beside on both sides guarding ‘Arisi Raja’ and making him halt at the same place.
As it was late night hours the team waited till dawn and roped ‘Arisi Raja’ with the help of the ‘Kumkis’ and loaded him onto the truck. “The elephant will be taken to Varagaliyar elephant camp in ATR and put inside the kraal for taming as a captive elephant,” added a source.
