The Palakkad Elephant Lovers Forum has approached the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau in Chennai seeking an investigation into the death of Thanneerkomban, a 30-year-old wild elephant that died while being relocated from Wayanad to Bandipur on Saturday.
In a complaint to the regional deputy director of the bureau as well as Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran, Palakkad Elephant Lovers Forum president Haridas Machingal alleged that the Kerala and Karnataka Forest departments had mishandled the pachyderm, which never had displayed any signs of aggression.
He said that the radio-collared elephant, monitored by the Karnataka Forest department, had displayed symptoms of health issues. He said that the Kerala Forest officials had ignored the health problems displayed by Thanneerkomban while tranquilising and capturing it.
