PM2 elephant darted at Gudalur reserve forest after a 17-day capture operation
The Hindu
A forest veterinarian darted the animal with a tranquilizer in Puliyampara before a team of four kumki elephants were brought in to restrain the animal with ropes.
The Pandalur makhna elephant, PM2, that had been evading capture by the forest department for the last 17 days was finally darted and restrained in Puliyampara reserve forest in Gudalur range in the Nilgiris on Thursday afternoon.
A team of forest department staff including veterinarians, began patrols on Thursday morning between Vayalpallam in Pandalur and Maiyakolli in Gudalur when the elephant was spotted.
A forest veterinarian darted the animal with a tranquilizer in Puliyampara before a team of four kumki elephants were brought in to restrain the animal with ropes. Officials stated that the animal would be boarded onto a specially designed truck to transport elephants to its new habitat in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
Earlier on November 19, while the elephant tried to raid a house in Devala for food, it brought down the building and killed a 58-year-old woman and injured two others.
Following the incident, on November 21, the residents staged a road roko and Gudalur AIADMK MLA, Pon Jeyaseelan staged a sit-in protest in front of the Collector’s office demanding that the elephant be captured.