The male elephant known as Arikomban, or 'rice-tusker' -- was infamous for raiding shops for rice and grains in the southern state of Kerala.
abc.net.au/news/officials-capture-elephant-for-rice-raiding-in-india/102287866Indian forest officials have tranquillised and relocated a rice-loving wild tusker elephant after it killed six people.More than 60 per cent of wild Asian elephants live in India.The male elephant known as Arikomban, or "rice-tusker" -- was infamous for raiding shops for rice and grains in the southern state of Kerala.
On Saturday, a team of 150 forest officials caught the elephant, which resisted its captors even after being hit with five tranquilliser shots, the Indian Express newspaper reported. With its legs tied and eyes bound with a cloth, it was finally pushed and nudged by four kumki elephants -- trained elephants used to capture others -- into a truck.This was not the first time that officials had tried to capture the elephant, believed to be around 30 years old.In April, officials erected a dummy ration shop to lure the elephant, but a court put a stop to the plan, the Indian Express newspaper reported.
Conservationists blame the rapid expansion of human settlements around forests and key wildlife corridors for an increase in conflicts between people and animals in parts of India.As per the last elephant census in 2017, India had a recorded elephant population of 29,964.