Gruesome death of elephant Ranga: Owner of the private bus had filed a petition in Court to lift night ban in forests

The damaged Kalpaka bus which knocked down elephant Ranga in the vicinity of Mathigodu Elephant Camp in the wee hours yesterday. Picture right shows elephant Ranga, which was flung to the roadside after the bus rammed into him.

Mysuru:  The ‘Kalpaka’ bus, which knocked down elephant Ranga known as ‘Rowdy Ranga,’ in the wee hours of yesterday in the vicinity of Mathigodu Elephant Camp (under Nagarahole National Park) belongs to the person who has filed a petition in the Court to lift night ban in forest areas, according to sources in the Forest Department.

The State Government, in a bid to protect wildlife from roadkills during night, has banned night traffic at Bandipur, Nagarahole and other reserve forests. Similarly, traffic is banned on the stretch of road to Kerala that passes through Bandipur Reserve Forest from 9 pm to 6 am.

The Kerala Government had knocked the doors of Supreme Court urging it to lift the ban as it would affect the business in Kerala and the owner of Kalpaka bus too had filed a petition at Supreme Court on the same issue, sources said.

This post was published on October 9, 2018 6:36 pm