Kumkis Prove Worth, Help Capture Rogue Elephant in Palamaner Forest Range
Kumkis from the Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park and the elephant camps at Palamaner and Kuppam played a key role in the operation.
Tirupati:A rogue sub-adult tusker, which had been straying into villages on the fringes of forests in Chittoor district for nearly a year, has finally been captured by the Forest department on Thursday with the help of five kumki elephants.
The rogue elephant roaming the Palamaner forest range and its environs had become a major concern for farmers, residents, and motorists travelling on the Tirupati-Bengaluru national highway. It regularly ventured out of the Jagamarla forest area, damaging agricultural and horticultural crops. The tusker often moved along the Moghili Ghat road, creating panic among road users.
Forest officials said they made several attempts to drive the animal back into the reserve forest with the help of elephant trackers. However, the tusker repeatedly returned to human habitations, prompting the department to launch a special operation to capture it.
Named "Operation Tusker," the massive exercise involved five kumki elephants, around 50 forest personnel, veterinarians, mahouts, and elephant trackers. The teams spent two days tracking the rogue pachyderm’s movements inside the forest. They finally surrounded and restrained it around 2:40 p.m. on Thursday.
Speaking after the capture of the rogue elephant, District Forest Officer G. Subburaj said they obtained permission to capture the tusker from the Chief Wildlife Warden under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, after the pachyderm’s involvement in repeated destructive incidents. The Forest department presented to the Chief Wildlife Warden a detailed assessment of the threat posed by the animal.
Subburaj said Operation Tusker had been carried out in accordance with the guidelines of Project Elephant, involving careful planning, continuous monitoring, and coordination among different teams. Kumkis from the Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park and the elephant camps at Palamaner and Kuppam played a key role in the operation.
The captured rogue tusker has been shifted under tight security to the Musalimadugu Elephant Camp, where it will remain under observation and veterinary care.
Forest officials said the captured elephant’s future habitat will be decided after experts assess its health and behaviour in line with the Wildlife Conservation guidelines.
