Forest department officials drove away a problematic tusker, known among residents as ‘Muttikomban’, to the forest from a human habitat at Panayamabam under the Kurichyad forest range in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary on April 10 (Wednesday).
The elephant triggered panic among residents at Valluvadi, Panayambam, and Vadakkanad after it strayed into human habitats. The animal also destroyed crops in the areas.
Though a team of Forest officials drove away the elephant into the forest at Kallurkunnu with the assistance of three trained elephants (Kumkis) of Muthanga elephant kraal on Tuesday evening, the animal appeared again in the morning.
“We drove away the tusker to the interior forest of the sanctuary around 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday. The operation began around 7 a.m.,” assistant wildlife warden P.D. Ratheesh said.
Apart from the three Kumki elephants, as many as 30 frontline Forest staff, including members of the rapid response team of the Forest department, took part in the operation.
However, residents said the elephant had been driven away to the forest several times, but it had returned to human habitats and destroyed crops a few weeks later. Hence a permanent solution to the issue was the need of the hour, they added.
