Coimbatore : With the problem male elephant Vinayakan being darted with a standing sedation, Chief Conservator of Forests of Coimbatore Circle, Deepak Srivastava said that the animal would be radio collared and released in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve later today.
Coimbatore : With the problem male elephant Vinayakan being darted with a standing sedation, Chief Conservator of Forests of Coimbatore Circle, Deepak Srivastava said that the animal would be radio collared and released in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve later today.
The elephant weighing 4.5 to 5 tonnes was darted initially with a mild sedation of Xylaxene and Ketamine (8ml) around 6.30 a.m. Since the animal did not respond immediately, it was darted again with the 3ml of the same combination around 7.30 a.m. Another dose can be given based on the retrieval of the dose.
“The elephant is a fully grown adult bull who is in musth. He is very healthy and kept retaliating. It took a while for the medicine to kick in,” said Deepak Srivastava.
He further added that now the animal was in control and was roped on both the front legs. “We would create a ramp using earth movers so that the animal can be moved inside the truck,” added Srivastava.
The CCF informed that the elephant would be radio collared and released at Sand Road in a forest patch connecting Bandipur, Mudumalai and Wayanad.
“Since he is a problem elephant, it is important to monitor his movements and see if he is coming to residential areas again. We are also tracking the other elephant and that would be captured soon if things work out well,” he claimed.