Forest department team will inspect injured tusker in Munnar

Forest department vets inspect injured wild tusker Ottakompan; court case pending; infighting among wild elephants during mating season.

A team of three Forest department veterinary surgeons will inspect an injured wild tusker named Ottakompan on Friday.

According to the Forest department officials, the tusker got injured while fighting with another tusker, locally called Padayappa. The Assistant Forest Veterinary Surgeon had inspected the animal on February 26 and informed that the injury was showing signs of healing, said the officilas.

Meanwhile, an NGO named Walking Eye Foundation for Animal Advocacy filed a plea before the Kerala High Court demanding to take immediate steps to provide treatment for the injured tusker. The Munnar Range Officer had submitted an affidavit regarding the incident, as directed by the court. The court will further consider the case on March 10, said sources. The Forest department will take further action on the issue based the court directives, according to the department sources.

According to the department sources, the injured elephant is feeding normally and is moving freely. A rapid response team (RRT) from Pettimudy has been closely monitoring the movements of the tusker from February 7 onwards.