Dasara jumbos help capture rogue tusker from TN

Chamarajanagar: A rogue elephant, which had triggered panic among villagers residing near Bandipur national park was captured by forest department personnel on Thursday.

The tusker strayed into Bandipur from the neighboring Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu and had recently attacked two farmers at Padagur in the taluk.

A search team formed to capture the elephant swung into action after the elephant was sighted by farmers in a field in Padoor at around 7 am on Thursday morning. Six Dasara elephants led by Abhimanyu were used by the personnel in the search operation.

The team managed to tranquilize the elephant at around 10.35 am at Ingalavadi. However, the elephant went on a rampage and damaged three two-wheelers before officials managed to capture it from a farmland at Padagur.

The elephant was mounted on a truck, using a crane, at 1 pm and was shifted to the Dubare elephant camp.

Initially, Bandipur Park officials planned to send it to an elephant camp in Shivamogga but later decided to shift the tusker to Dubare.

According to sources, the same elephant is beleived to have trampled several persons to death in Krishnagiri district before it was rescued by Tamil Nadu Forest department near Hosur in August. A radio-collar was fixed and it was released into Mudumalai forests.