Wild elephant ‘Karuppan’ captured in Talavadi Hill

A wild elephant, nicknamed Karuppan, that was involved in frequent incidents of crop raiding and conflicts with humans in Talavadi Hills for over a year, was captured in an early morning operation, here on April 17, 2023.

A wild elephant, nicknamed Karuppan, that was involved in frequent incidents of crop raiding and conflicts with humans in Talavadi Hills for over a year, was captured in an early morning operation, here on April 17, 2023.

Confirming the development, Devendra Kumar Meena, District Forest Officer, Hasanur Division and Deputy Director of STR told  The Hindu, that veterinarians fired a tranquillizer dart and the elephant was sedated between 5 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. at a sugarcane field at Maharajapuram village, located near Jerahalli Forest Range of Hasanur Division in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR). 

A radio collar with GPS was fixed on the elephant’s neck and with the help of two kumkis, Chinnathambi and Mariyappan, both from Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), the tusker was loaded onto a truck. “We are waiting for orders for translocating the captured elephant,” said the DFO.

The elephant had caused extensive damage to crops in fringe villages located near the forest ranges of Talavadi and Jerahalli and had killed two farmers in recent months. The earlier operation, carried out in January and March this year, was unsuccessful as the darted elephant was not fully sedated, and it entered the forest area.