Idukki: Mission Arikomban has been a success. The rogue wild tusker called Arikomban who was tranquilised by a special taskforce is being transported to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. A curfew has been declared in the town of Kumily.

Despite being hit with five darts, Arikomban tried to resist efforts to restrain him and board onto an open lorry. However, the taskforce managed to begin their journey after 6 pm and is expected to arrive at the destination late in the night.

Arikomban has been equipped with a GPS collar to track his movements once released. Four kumki elephants were involved in the translocation mission. The presence of another wild tusker in the Chinnakanal region, Chakkakomban, proved to be a hassle for the taskforce.

"The mission team worked under adverse conditions to capture Arikomban. The remarks that they failed in their work is unfortunate. The forest department officials and the veterinary doctor did a commendable job. We shall transfer the elephant to an undisclosed location as per the court order. Kumki elephants Surendran, Kunju, Vikram and Suryan have surrounded Arikomban. The elephant will be transferred to the prepared vehicle," Minister AK Saseendran said in a press conference.

Taskforce led by Dr Arun Zachariah
A taskforce of 150 members was deployed in Chinnakanal region here for the operation. The taskforce is led by Dr Arun Zachariah.

The Forest Department taskforce, which temporarily suspended Operation Arikomban on Friday, resumed its mission on Saturday.

On Saturday morning, the taskforce lured the elephant to 301 colony area with crackers from a hilltop to tranquilise it. Forest officials had stated that tranquilising the tusker was not possible in the rough terrain.

The fact that the tusker did not head in the expected direction proved a tough challenge to the taskforce. The presence of the tusker Chakkakomban which stationed itself near Cement Palam also complicated the mission.

The elusive wild tusker Arikomban, who gave forest officials a miss on Friday morning, had appeared in the Sankarapandyan mettu region after sunset. The elephant was spotted by forest watchers at 6pm near a stream at Sankarapandyan mettu.

The location is 8km away from Cement Palam, the area where tusker Chakkakomban was spotted on Friday. According to officials, Arikomban travelled from Shankarapandya Mettu to 301 colony later at night.

The curfew imposed in Chinnakanal panchayat and wards 1, 2 and 3 of Shanthanpara continued on Saturday.

Mission fails on Friday
On Friday, the taskforce spotted the tusker Chakkakomban at Cement Palam and mistook it as Arikomban. They learnt about their mistake after inspecting the spot where the elephant was seen.

Talking to Manorama News, the natives stated that Arikomban was roaming around 301 Colony on Thursday night. They expressed protest over not including any villagers in the taskforce for spotting the elephant. They noted that the mission would not succeed unless the forest department took the villagers and local forest watchers into confidence.

The story so far
The 25-year-old tusker is nicknamed Arikomban as it used to raid ration shops and houses to eat raw rice (called 'ari' in Malayalam). In an affidavit filed before the Kerala High Court, the government claimed that Arikomban had killed over seven people in Idukki and vandalised several houses and shops.

The Kerala High Court had on April 19 directed the expert panel appointed by it and the state government to take a final decision by May 3 on the alternative site suggested by the Forest department for translocating the 'Arikomban.'

The court was hearing a PIL by two animal rights groups -- People for Animals (PFA), Trivandrum Chapter and the Walking Eye Foundation for Animal Advocacy -- opposing the government decision to keep the elephant in captivity and train it to become a kumki elephant.

Kumkis are captive elephants trained for use in trapping and capturing wild elephants.

On April 12, the court had given the state a week's time to come up with an alternative location to translocate the elephant after the government said that people living close to Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Palakkad district were objecting to moving 'Arikomban' there as suggested by the CoE.

The government's submission came during the hearing of a plea moved by CPI(M) MLA from Nenmara Assembly constituency K Babu, seeking review of the court's April 5 order agreeing with the CoE suggestion.

The court had declined to review its order, but had given the state a week's time to come up with an alternative location.