Bangalore: Following the death of two tuskers during an operation to capture 10 “rogue” elephants in Kodagu and Hassan districts, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) has ordered an “immediate stop” to the operations.
So far, eight elephants have been captured in Kodagu’s Maldare forest.
The two remaining tuskers, which were to be captured in Hassan’s Alur taluk, will remain in the wild for now.
“There is a perception that the two elephants died due to the negligence of district officials and veterinarians,” states the letter sent by PCCF (Wildlife) I.B. Srivastav on February 18 to the Conservators of Forest of Kodagu and Hassan circles. The letter calls for an immediate halt to the elephant capture programme “until further notice.”
While one elephant died on January 6 due to “cardiac arrest” minutes after its capture, the second died of “shock” on February 9, again soon after it was darted with a tranquilizing gun.
Both elephants also were considerably weakened by old and infected gunshot wounds and injuries from fights with other elephants, the post-mortem revealed.
The Forest Department’s orders to capture 10 elephants follow the intensifying human-elephant conflict in Kodagu and adjoining taluks in Hassan.
While several people have lost their lives and crops to rampaging elephants in recent years, the pachyderms have also been victims of habitat loss, poaching and electrocution.
In 2006, the Forest Department sought permission from the Ministry of Environment and Forests to capture a total of 25 elephants in this area. Ambady Madhav, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Hassan, confirmed that the order had been issued to cease the capture operation.
“The two rogue bulls in question have not been creating a problem lately, but there is no saying when they might strike again,” he said.
The six captured elephants currently being trained at the Dubare Elephant Camp in Kodagu will be examined by the Forest Department’s veterinarians, and officers will discuss the possibility of translocating the animals to Bandipur, Nagarahole or Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Mr. Srivastava said.
He said he believed that the elephants should be sent back to the forest.
However veterinary officer of Hunsur division, J.L. Srinivas said that such a proposition was a waste of energy and resources.
“If the department was considering relocating the elephants in another forest, it should have done so at the time of capture. What was the need to spend all the time in training the elephants in the first place?” Mr. Srinivas questioned.
