Gudalur forest officials intensify efforts to capture wild elephant

Efforts to capture elephant CT16, known as 'bullet', intensify after damaging houses in Gudalur forest division.

Efforts are on to capture the elephant CT16, referred to by locals as ‘bullet’, after it damaged two more houses in the Gudalur forest division on Thursday.

A team from the Forest Department has been monitoring the elephant that has damaged houses in Cherambadi and Pandalur. In order to deter the tusker from breaking into houses in search of rice and sugar, houses in the region have resorted to applying a paste of chilly powder and neem oil on the entrances of houses and windows.

Over 75 Department personnel have been deployed to chase the animal away from human habitation, alongside two kumki elephants from the Theppakadu Elephant Camp and drones.

However, Vengatesh Prabhu, Divisional Forest Officer (Gudalur), said that the latest incidents had forced the forest department into accepting that the tusker had to be captured. 

“The department had a meeting with local residents and asked them for a week’s time in dealing with the tusker. Within a span of a few days, after managing to contain the animal, it has damaged two more houses in the region on Thursday morning. This has forced our hand in deciding to relocate the animal to another area,” he said.

Mr. Prabhu said that the search is on for CT16, and that the department is considering asking for an additional veterinarian to be present during the time of tranquilization of the animal. He said that the site where the animal would be released is yet to be decided. 

If CT16 is successfully captured, this would be the sixth elephant to be captured and relocated in the Nilgiris. Four of the previous five attempts at translocating elephants have failed, with many of the animals being recaptured in neighbouring states of Kerala and Karnataka due to the animals having negative interactions with humans following their release.