A Kerala court turns down a request to capture Arikomban, a wild elephant.
Instead of capturing the elephant, officials from the forest department were asked by the Kerala High Court on Wednesday to track it, tranquilize it, and then tie a radio collar around its neck to track its movement.
Ankush Pandey
On Wednesday, the Kerala High Court denied the forest department's request to calm and capture Arikomban, a wild elephant.
The rogue elephant, Arikomban, was observed wandering the residential areas of Idukki.
The court asked the forest officials to keep an eye on the situation and rejected a request to keep the animal in captivity at the Kodanadu elephant camp.
Instead of capturing the elephant, the court ordered officials from the forest department to follow it, tranquilize it, and then attach a radio collar to its neck to track its movements.
With the assistance of four Kumki elephants, the forest department intended to tranquilize the elephant before capturing it.
The court questioned whether capturing one elephant would resolve the issue during the hearing and stated that a long-term solution was essential. The court inquired as to the justification for allowing human settlements in the elephant habitat in the first place.
To keep an eye on the situation, the government was asked to establish an expert committee. If Arikomban is discovered, it should be tranquilized before being relocated to the forest's interior.
The Thiruvananthapuram People for Animals and Thrissur Walking Eye Foundation for Animal Advocacy filed petitions to question the decision to drug the elephant. Last week, the high court heard the petitions and suspended tasks to catch the elephant till Walk 29.
