‘Crowded’ Theppakadu camp raises questions on protocols to capture wild elephants

The camp now has 28 elephants; ₹12 lakh needed to maintain an elephant annually

Since 2018, the number of captive elephants at the Theppakadu camp has increased from 23 to 28. With two more animals likely to join the captive herd soon, the Forest Department is confronting questions about when to intervene and capture wild elephants, and also the impact the camp may have on the overall ecology of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. The reasons for the recent major operations conducted in the Nilgiris to capture or restrain wild elephants were varied. in Gudalur for confrontations with humans that left two people dead, , was coaxed into a “kraal” (elephant shelter) for medical treatment. In Gudalur, a tusker that had sustained injuries during a fight with another elephant a few years ago, is to be captured in the coming days and taken to Theppakadu.