Herd leader radio-collared; six tuskers, 100 Forest staff deployed

Madikeri, June 8 (AG,PS& &BCT)- A massive Forest Department operation is underway near Konanakatte village, on the Thithimathi-Anechowkur border of the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, to capture the wild elephant that fatally attacked Sandhya, wife of retired IPS officer and former IGP Sunil Achayya, in their coffee estate.

Following the incident, the Forest Department obtained permission to capture the elephant suspected to be responsible for the attack. More than 100 Forest personnel have been deployed for the operation, assisted by six trained elephants from the Mathigodu Elephant Camp, Bhima, Abhimanyu, Mahendra, Ganesh, Ekalavya and Srikanta.

As part of the search operation, officials radio-collared a male elephant believed to be the herd’s leader yesterday. Authorities hope that tracking its movements will help locate and isolate the female elephant involved in the fatal attack.

Each radio collar costs around Rs. 30 lakh. Before commencing the operation, customary pujas were performed for the six elephants, following which the tracking teams entered the forest.

Leader blind in one eye

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Mathigodu (Anechowkur) Range Assistant Conservator of Forests Narayan Lakshmikanth said that the herd comprises four elephants.

“The tusker that was radio-collared yesterday is the herd leader and is blind in one eye. Besides him, there is one female elephant and two other tuskers in the group. We have identified the elephant involved in the attack on the retired IGP’s wife. The herd leader was fitted with a radio collar because tracking its movements will help us monitor the entire herd,” he said.

Lakshmikanth said, the herd leader became separated from the group during the darting and radio-collaring operation.

“We are tracking the herd on the ground and are also using drones to monitor its movement. The operation resumed early this morning and is progressing on multiple fronts,” he added.

Forest officials said, the operation has been intensified, with teams working round the clock to ensure public safety. Residents of nearby villages, shaken by the fatal attack, have urged the Forest Department to act swiftly, saying recurring elephant attacks have heightened fear and anxiety.