Coimbatore: The wild elephant Arisi Raja who was kept captivity in a wooden crate for six months was released. The Forest department welcomed him.
Coimbatore: The wild elephant Arisi Raja who was kept captivity in a wooden crate for six months was released. The Forest department welcomed him.
Earlier, the lone elephant rampaged the coconut farms and agricultural lands and killed two tribals and one farmer when it went out of the forests into the Aliyar Navamalai area in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Pollachi. This prompted the farmers to protest.
Following this the Forest department, after a lot of struggle , managed to bring Kumki Kaleem from the Topslip region and captured Arisi Raja Kaleem at Arthanaripalayam on November 14, 2019. He was then placed in a wooden cage in Varakaliyaaru, Topslip.
After six months Arisi Raja, is trained now to take instructions from the mahouts and consume food. On July 21 he was released from the wooden cage.

He was welcomed with special prayers. The mahouts welcomed Arisi Raja with joy.

The Anamalai Tiger Reserve Director Xavier Arokiyaraj said, "Arisi Raja has been named Muthu on behalf of the Forest Department. He is in good health and the doctors are monitoring him continuously. The mahouts have offered good training to Muthu. On August 12, Arisi Raja (a) Muthu will take part in the Elephant Day programmes along with another elephant Chinnathambi."