Arikomban to be tranquilised, kumki elephants to be brought from Anamalai: TN forest dept

Cumbum: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said on Saturday that all the departments should cooperate to capture the wild tusker Arikomban which is running amok in Cumbum town. The elephant should be shifted out without troubling the people, the CM said.

Arikomban, the wild elephant which was translocated to Periyar tiger reserve from Idukki's Chinnakanal on April 29, entered Cumbum town from the lower camp area in Tamil Nadu forest range on Saturday.

Three people were injured while they tried to flee from the elephant. One of them sustained critical injuries. The tusker damaged several autorickshaws and two-wheelers in the area.

The Tamil Nadu forest department announced that Arikomban will be tranquilised if they do not succeed in chasing the wild tusker away. "The elephant will be tranquilised and moved to the deep forest," Chief Wildlife Warden Srinivas Reddy told Manorama News. He added that the date of tranquilisation has not been decided yet. Kumki elephants will be brought from Anamalai for the mission. Kumki elephants are elephants trained to capture and tame wild elephants.

Meanwhile, police have warned residents in Cumbum town to stay indoors. The police are patrolling the area with guns to chase Arikomban into the forest by shooting in the sky. However, reports suggested the elephant, which had moved to Kerala side, turned around and went back to the Cumbum after the warning shots were fired.