Elephant Arikompan tranquillised in Theni district; prohibitory orders lifted in Cumbum municipality, neighbouring towns

Ending an operation that lasted over five days, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department officials successfully tranquillised wild elephant, Arikompan also known as Arisikompan, in the Chinna Ovulapuram reserve forest, Uthamapalayam, in Theni district, early on Monday.

Ending an operation that lasted over five days, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department officials successfully tranquillised wild elephant, Arikompan also known as Arisikompan, in the Chinna Ovulapuram reserve forest, Uthamapalayam, in Theni district, early on Monday.

A large posse comprising officials and ground staff from multiple departments led by the Forest Department had been closely monitoring the pachyderm for the past week, via a GPS-aided radio collar on it. T.N. Additional Chief Secretary, Environment Climate Change and Forests, Supriya Sahu, in a tweet said the tusker has been safely tranquillised in the early hours of Monday, in Cumbum’s East Range forest by Forest Department veterinary surgeons and other officials. She added that the tusker would be translocated to a suitable habitat where officials will continue to monitor the pachyderm.

Arikompan had entered Cumbum on the morning of May 27, leading to the district administration invoking Section 144, prohibiting residents from stepping out of their dwellings until further orders. On Monday, Theni District Collector R. V. Shajeevana, in a press release said with the mission concluded successfully, the district administration would lift the prohibitory orders with immediate effect. Residents in Cumbum and Gudalur municipalities and those in K. Pudupatti, Kamayakoundanpatti and other town panchayats can carry on with their regular work without any hindrance. However, the Collector appealed to the public to cooperate with government officials.

The pachyderm is being transported in a truck by Forest Department officials, and as the vehicle entered villages, residents, lined up in large numbers on the roadside, hailed the officials for successfully capturing the tusker. Many residents took photographs and posted them on social media platforms.

After the elephant had entered Cumbum town last week, officials, who were initially taken aback, chased the animal into the forest. However, before moving to the Megamalai forest, Arikompan had damaged a few properties and also injured a janitor, who later died at a government hospital. Over the past two days, Arikompan was spotted near the Shanmuganadhi dam and had reportedly damaged a closed ration shop in the vicinity.

A senior official from the Forest Department told The Hindu the surveillance on Arikompan would continue even after its release deep into a forest.