Bathery: A concerted effort to tranquillise and capture a wild elephant that strayed into Bathery town a few days ago is on since Sunday morning. The tuskless male elephant had attacked a pedestrian a few days ago.
As per the order of the Chief Wildlife Warden, the animal codenamed as PM-2 (Pandalur Makhna-2) should be transported to the elephant kraal at Bathery after tranquillising and capturing it.

After day-long protests on Saturday, the order was issued by the Chief Wildlife Warden to capture it.
The Chief Wildlife Warden took the decision after public anger erupted over the issue and the Muslim Youth League and municipal councillors took out a march to his office in Bathery.

The order issued by the Chief Wildlife Warden, Ganga Singh, was received here by the authorities at 3 pm on Saturday. 

The order also states that tusker PM-2 had killed two persons in Gudalur, Tamil Nadu.

As soon as the order was received, the Rapid Response Team (RRT) reached the boundary of the Pazhupathur forest where the elephant is at present. Since it was already late in the day, the capture bid was postponed to  Sunday morning.

The Chief Wildlife Warden signed the orders to capture the elephant after the municipal councillors sat in front of his office, declaring that they would not backtrack until the order was issued and people’s representatives picketed the warden under the leadership of I C Balakrishnan, MLA, and Bathery Municipal Chairman T K Ramesh.

Show cause notice to Chief Wildlife Warden

Chief Wildlife Warden Ganga Singh has been served with a show cause notice for not issuing the order to tranquillise the elephant even after the Minister’s direction to do so. However, the Chief Wildlife Warden had signed the order before he received the show cause notice.