In a tragic turn of events, a 25-year-old tusker which was captured in Kerala and was being shifted to Bandipur in Karnataka was found dead on arrival in the early hours of Saturday.
The elephant nicknamed “Thanner Komban” was originally captured in an operation in Belur forest range of Hassan district on January 16, 2024, in a bid to reduce conflict in the region. After tranquilisation and radio-collaring, the elephant was released in the wild in the Moolehole range of Bandipur Tiger Reserve which is a tri-junction and abuts Wayanad in Kerala and Mudumali in Tamil Nadu.
“The free-ranging elephant moved towards the Wayanad side in Kerala and entered the Taluk office compound of Manandavadi town following which a decision was taken by the Forest Departments of both the States to tranquilise and relocate it to Bandipur from where it had come,” said Dr. Ramesh Kumar, director, Bandipur Tiger Reserve.
He said the entire operation including tranquilisation was done by the Kerala team and only a few mahouts and other staff were sent from Bandipur side for their assistance. The tusker was tranquilised on Friday at 5.40 p.m. and shifted to Bandipur at 10.30 p.m. but the elephant died enroute, said Mr. Ramesh Kumar. The elephant’s death came to light when the truck carrying it reached the Ramapura camp at around 1.30 a.m. on Saturday and officials who went to examine it, found that it had collapsed, he added.
It is not clear whether there was an overdose of tranquilizers as being suspected in certain quarters among activists who have flayed the authorities of both the State and accused them of a botched up operation that led to the death of a majestic animal.
The postmortem of the elephant was conducted in the presence of the Forest Department staff of both States and samples of the viscera were collected and sent to the laboratory for analysis.
Mr. Ramesh Kumar said the elephant died of shock and trauma and postmortem report indicates that there was a blood clot in the heart.
