Forest department continues effort to drive away elephant from Doddabetta Peak for third consecutive day

Forest department struggles to relocate disoriented male elephant near Doddabetta Peak, facing challenges and considering risky tranquilization.

The operation to drive away the male elephant that had made its way to Doddabetta Peak continued for the third consecutive day on Wednesday. However, despite the best efforts of the forest department, the saga seems to have no end in sight as the disorientated elephant, unused to the habitat in which it finds itself in, continues to flee from humans.

The Doddabetta Peak was closed to tourists for the second consecutive day as forest department staff attempted to coax the elephant out of its hiding spot near the Cinchona plantation at Doddabetta using fireworks. However, their efforts have proved futile even as the department now seriously considers a more risky approach to dealing with the issue, by tranquilising the animal and relocating it back to its original habitat along the Coonoor slopes.

However, conservationists who spoke to The Hindu urged caution, stating that as the animal had been in a state of distress for three consecutive days, it was a risky strategy to tranquilise the animal.

“As the elephant is quite close to human settlements and also on quite unfavourable terrain, it is at risk of falling or having negative interactions with people in the area. Any strategy to relocate it must be done with extreme caution,” stated a conservationist from the Nilgiris, who also agreed that the animal cannot be left alone in the forest without human intervention as Doddabetta, located in the upper Nilgiris, may not have enough of a fodder base to sustain itself.