The wild tusker Arikompan which was translocated from Chinnakkanal to the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Idukki entered the Chinnamanur-Megamalai route under the Tamil Nadu forest area on Sunday night.
A Tamil Nadu Forest department official said the tusker reached near a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus around 9 p.m. on Sunday. “Though the tusker reached near the bus, it did not try to attack the vehicle. The tusker is still camping in a shola forest under Megamalai,“ said the official.
“A 30-member Tamil Nadu Forest department team is still monitoring the movements of the tusker. The ban on entry of tourists to the Megamalai hill station will continue,” said the official.
According to officials, Arikompan has been camping at Megamalai for four days.
‘Returning to Periyar’
Meanwhile, Kerala Forest department officials claimed that the tusker started returning to the Periyar border from Megamalai on Monday morning. “According to signals received by the Kerala Forest department from the satellite radio collar, the tusker is now roaming 8.5 km away from the Periyar border and 5 km from the Megamalai reserve. The last signal was received around 7 a.m. on Monday,” said a Forest department official.
