Jumbo ‘Karuppan’ being monitored after capture and release in wild: TN Forest Dept

Chennai, April 18 (SocialNews.XYZ) A special task force of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department is monitoring the movement of rogue elephant 'Karuppan', which was captured on Monday and released in the deep forest after radio-collaring it, officials said on Tuesday.

The elephant, captured from Thalavadi hills in Erode district, was relocated to Thattakarai forest area in Erode division.

The Forest Department has constituted a team of seven officials to monitor the movement of the elephant in the dense forest as well as its feeding. It had caused extensive damage at the Thalavadi hills after raiding sugarcane farms and destroying crops. Also several banana plantations was also raided by the elephant that relishes in eating sweet fruits.

The elephant was captured on Monday, after the Forest Department set up a team under the 'Operation Black' and it was transported in a truck to the deep forest range into the Thattakarai forest division on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border.

The seven member team of forest officials who are deputed to monitor 'Karuppan' will be staying at the Anti- Poaching Watchers camp at Thattakarai and track his movement for one week.

According to senior forest officers, the elephant will have to walk for long distances for getting its feed but 'Karuppan' has the habit of straying into farmlands to get easy access to food.

The Forest Department is also monitoring the behavioural changes of the elephant and said that it would become normal in a month's time.

On Tuesday morning, the special team of the forest department has reported that the elephant had drunk water from a stream and had moved into dense forest area which was a good sign.

Source: IANS