India finally captures rice-raiding elephant that killed 6 people
- A team of 150 forest officials caught the male elephant – dubbed Arikomban, or ‘rice-tusker’ – after he was hit with 5 tranquilliser shots
- Conservationists say the rapid expansion of human settlements around forests and wildlife areas cause an increase in conflicts with animals
Indian forest officials have tranquillised and relocated a rice-loving wild tusker elephant that killed at least six people, media reports said.
The male elephant – dubbed 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. It was then fitted with a GPS collar and taken to a wildlife reserve.
This was not the first time that officials had tried to capture the elephant, believed to be around 30 years old. Arikomban was hit with tranquilliser shots in 2017, but managed to escape.
