Elephant Radhakrishnan aggressive, Rolex evasive: Forest department in tight spot

COIMBATORE: A day after ‘rogue’ tusker Radhakrishnan from ‘O’ Valley in Gudalur was captured and lodged in a ‘kraal’ in Mudumalai, the elephant has been exhibiting signs of aggression and also remains restless.

“The elephant, which was captured by administering tranquillisers, has come out of sedation after it was given recovery drugs. A team of veterinarians examined the animal, and it was found to be in good health. But the elephant remains aggressive inside the ‘kraal’. A team has been deployed for monitoring,” said an official of the forest department.

The elephant has been lodged in a kraal to dissuade it from intruding into human settlements, and after a period of time, it is likely to be released in a different forest area. Elephant Radhakrishnan is a habitual crop raider and is believed to have been involved in multiple incidents of negative interactions with human beings over the last ten years in ‘O’ Valley and surrounding areas.

Following its capture, the scene of action has now shifted to Coimbatore, where the forest department has revived efforts to capture another ‘rogue’ tusker named by locals as ‘Rolex’. The elephant continues to remain evasive despite multiple attempts to capture it, despite being darted with a tranquilliser.

During another attempt, the elephant attacked forest veterinarian E Vijayaragavan, who had a miraculous escape with minor fractures, a few days ago. Since then, attempts to capture the elephant were suspended temporarily by the forest department.

“Once again, attempts to capture the elephant have been revived, and a team has been deployed to track the elephant. It continues to camp in the Kembanur and Thaliyur areas. Soon, full-fledged efforts will commence to capture the animal,” said an official.