Two kumkis to be deployed to fix radio-collar on elephant in Talavadi Hills

The elephant Karuppan frequently raided the standing crops. Villagers claimed that it had killed five persons in the last one year. But, forest department officials are uncertain whether Karuppan was involved in it.

With a wild elephant, nicknamed Karuppan, involved in frequent incidents of negative human-elephant interactions and crop raiding in Jerahalli Forest Range in Talavadi Hills, the Forest Department has planned to deploy two kumkis to fix radio collar on the elephant and relocate it.

The wild elephant ventures out of the forest and enters farm lands at Rangasamy Kovil and Joraikadu areas and damages crops like maize, sugarcane, ragi throughout the year. Villagers also said the elephant had killed five persons in the last one year and wanted it to be captured and relocated. But, forest department officials are uncertain whether Karuppan was involved in it.

With trouble brewing frequently, the department decided to deploy two kumkis to fix radio collar on the elephant and relocate it. While one kumki elephant, Kapil Dev, arrived from Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), another kumki is expected to arrive on Saturday.

K. Rani, vice president of Talavadi Farmers Association, told The Hindu that the elephant had caused extensive damage to standing crops in the last one year and farmers and residents are living in fear.

All the seasonal crops were damaged by the elephant causing loss to farmers, she said and added that the elephant is raiding maize crops in the last one month. “Chasing the elephant into deep forest will not solve the problem,”, she added.

Officials said the process of fixing radio-collar involves meticulous planning, including studying the health of the elephant, tracking its movements, tranquillising, radio-collaring, transporting it safely and relocating it. “The wild elephant cannot be chased continuously for darting,” they said and added that a 30 to 40 member team will be involved in the operation that could begin within a week.