Mananthavady: The elusive elephant known as Belur Makhna continues to evade capture by forest department officials, with the sixth day of the operation ending in disappointment.
Expert wildlife veterinarian Dr Arun Zachariah also joined the mission on Friday.
A contingent of 25 forest personnel from Karnataka had joined the local team for the mission that involved tranquillizing the elephant. Earlier on the day, Belur Makhna was spotted near the Kattikulam iron bridge and later seen in the Manivayal region. Despite tracking the animal and gaining proximity, the team failed to successfully dart the elephant before nightfall.
The continued failure to capture Belur Makhna has led to unrest among local residents. They have even staged demonstrations, temporarily halting the operations of forest officials. According to the officials, the mission to tranquillize and safely relocate Belur Makhna will proceed on Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, the UDF, LDF and BJP have called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Wayanad on Saturday. The public staged a massive protest at Pakkam near Pulppalli protesting the alleged lethargy of state and central governments in protecting human life.
Belur Makhna, which was radio-collared by Karnataka earlier, trampled Panchiyil Ajeesh (42) to death on February 10. Ajeesh ran to the compound of the house to escape after the elephant charged at him. But the animal smashed open the gate and trampled him at Padamala near Mananthavady.
In a similar incident, Paul (50), an employee of the Kuruva Tourism Project was succumbed to injuries after attacked by a herd of elephants on Friday. These two consecutive incidents have triggered much panic among the local people, urging them to hold multiple protests and demonstrations across the district.
