Kumily: The forest department has started to receive signals from the satellite radio collar fixed on the neck of the wild tusker Arikomban after a short lull. The elephant was in the Mavadi area which is close to the Tamil Nadu border. It had crossed over to Vannathiparai in Tamil Nadu forest area and returned to the Periyar forest later.
The forest department officials were worried after signals from the radio collar were not being received from Tuesday morning. The conclusion is that signals were lost because the elephant was in a thick forest with a rich canopy or in a deep mountain valley. However, the signals came right back on from Wednesday morning.
There is a human habitation in Tamil Nadu a mere 5 km away from Vannathiparai where Arikomban reached the other day. The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has also mounted surveillance to check whether the elephant is entering human habitations. If the elephant enters inhabited areas in that State, it will be chased back into Kerala territory, and if such a thing occurs, there is a possibility of Arikomban returning to Chinnakanal from where it was captured and relocated to the Periyar Tiger Reserve. If such a situation arises, the Forest department is planning to drive the elephant into the forest by bursting crackers.
“The possibility of the elephant returning to Chinnakanal is low. At present, Arikomban is located in an area that is more suitable to it,” opined Dr P S Esa (former Director of the Kerala Forest Research Institute) and Dr E K Eswaran (former chief forest veterinary officer).
“The Forest department will receive the information much ahead of the elephant entering human habitations,” Forest Minister A K Saseendran.
