Coimbatore : The 20-hour-struggle of the famous elephant Chinnathambi from the Thadagam valley finally came to an end as the tusker who was captured yesterday around 12.30 pm was released in the Varagaliyar region of Anamalai Tiger Reserve around 2.00 am today.
Coimbatore : The 20-hour-struggle of the famous elephant Chinnathambi from the Thadagam valley finally came to an end as the tusker who was captured yesterday around 12.30 pm was released in the Varagaliyar region of Anamalai Tiger Reserve around 2.00 am today.
Fitted with radio collar, Chinnathambi slowly walked to his new territory inside the tiger reserve, which adjoins the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve of the neighbouring State of Kerala.
The animal would be monitored for a week by a team and would be later monitored through the GPS radio collar that was fitted around his neck yesterday, while he was being captured.
While the location of the release was kept a secret by officials since the actual release, officials have said that it was decided not to disclose it to stop problems from arising.
“We faced many issues last time, when we had disclosed the location during the capture of Vinayakan. Hence, it was decided to not reveal it,” said a senior official from the Forest Department.
The official further added that the new territory is a pristine wildlife habitat with continuous forest cover and help the animal adapt soon.
"We saw how Vinayakan adapted quick and started moving along with herds. We believe Chinnathambi will get used to the surroundings soon," the official opined.
Chinnathambi was darted with a dose of 6 ml of the combination of ketamine and xylazine around 6.30 am was darted twice again with an additional dosage of the same combination (8 ml).
The total of 14 ml was enough to bring the pachyderm under control and load him in the vehicle. He had spent more than 12 hours in the vehicle since being loaded and was released early morning with the help of field staff and veteran Kumki Kalim.
With both the problem elephants being removed from Thadagam, farmers are hoping that Human-Elephant Conflict reduces in the area. However, activists have condemned the continuous captures claiming that capturing would not solve the problem.
Fitted with radio collar, Chinnathambi slowly walked to his new territory inside the tiger reserve, which adjoins the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve of the neighbouring State of Kerala.
The animal would be monitored for a week by a team and would be later monitored through the GPS radio collar that was fitted around his neck yesterday, while he was being captured.
While the location of the release was kept a secret by officials since the actual release, officials have said that it was decided not to disclose it to stop problems from arising.
“We faced many issues last time, when we had disclosed the location during the capture of Vinayakan. Hence, it was decided to not reveal it,” said a senior official from the Forest Department.
The official further added that the new territory is a pristine wildlife habitat with continuous forest cover and help the animal adapt soon.
"We saw how Vinayakan adapted quick and started moving along with herds. We believe Chinnathambi will get used to the surroundings soon," the official opined.
Chinnathambi was darted with a dose of 6 ml of the combination of ketamine and xylazine around 6.30 am was darted twice again with an additional dosage of the same combination (8 ml).
The total of 14 ml was enough to bring the pachyderm under control and load him in the vehicle. He had spent more than 12 hours in the vehicle since being loaded and was released early morning with the help of field staff and veteran Kumki Kalim.
With both the problem elephants being removed from Thadagam, farmers are hoping that Human-Elephant Conflict reduces in the area. However, activists have condemned the continuous captures claiming that capturing would not solve the problem.