Thrissur: Forest officials temporarily suspended the operation to tranquillize an injured elephant in the Athirappilly range on Wednesday after the animal retreated deep into the forest, making further attempts challenging. Surveillance will continue overnight, and efforts to tranquillize the elephant are set to resume on Thursday morning.

The elephant, suffering from a head wound with exposed decayed tissue, was being monitored by a veterinary team led by the Forest Department’s Chief Veterinary Surgeon, Dr Arun Zachariah. Despite intensive drone-assisted searches, the animal could not be located, prompting the suspension of the mission for the day.

Earlier, the elephant was spotted near Vettilappara Division 14 and was driven into a rubber plantation using firecrackers. However, the strategy backfired as the animal retreated into the forest.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) R Lakshmi confirmed that traffic restrictions and measures to control crowds in the area have been implemented on the plantation road to ensure public safety.