A rogue wild tusker who has created havoc in Idukki district of Kerala since 2016, has been caught and is being transported to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Arikomban, the name earned by him for his fascination for raiding ration shops to steal rice, was tranquilised by a special task force.
A curfew has been declared in the town of Kumily. The Kerala High Court had ordered the capture, radio-collaring, and translocation of Arikomban.
After several hours of the intense operation carried out by around 150 officials and four kumki elephants, Arikomban was caught. Now, it is being translocated from Chinnakanal in Idukki district to Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) in the district’s Kumily.
The Arikomban issue, which over the past few months have led to numerous public debate and subsequent judicial intervention highlights the human-animal conflict in the hill district.
It has created havoc in the Chinnakanal area of Idukki district in Kerala. It has been responsible for trampling as many as 11 people to death over the years.
But the environmentalists and a few senior rank IFS officers are not in favour of capturing and transporting him.
