2023-04-30 13:58:19
A rice-loving wild elephant that killed at least six people in southern India was tranquilized and taken to a reserve, local media reported on Sunday.
The male elephant, known as Arikomban (“the rice-loving elephant”), had gained national fame for raiding shops selling rice or grain in the southern state of Kerala. But his expeditions were also sometimes deadly: according to local media, at least six trampled people lost their lives there.
Five insufficient doses of tranquilizer
On Saturday, a team of 150 rangers caught the pachyderm which fiercely defended itself. He resisted even after five doses of tranquilizer, reports the newspaper The Indian Express. His legs shackled and his eyes covered with fabric, he was finally pushed onto a truck with the help of four “kumki” elephants – elephants trained to capture their fellows.
There, the elephant, estimated to be around 30 years old, was fitted with a GPS collar and taken to a wildlife sanctuary. The guards had already tried to capture him several times. Already in 2017, Arikomban had received tranquilizers but he had managed to escape.
Increased conflict between humans and animals
Last month, a dummy ration of rice and seeds was installed to attract him but a court put an end to the project, the newspaper adds. According to the government, India is home to more than 60% of wild Asian elephants. The last elephant census conducted in 2017 counted 29,964 in the country.
Conflicts between animals such as elephants or tigers and humans have increased in recent years in parts of India. Conservationists see it as a consequence of the rapid expansion of human settlements around forests and major wildlife routes.
Last year, Indian authorities shot down a tiger nicknamed “the man-eater of Champaran” which killed at least nine people in the east of the country.
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