Forest dept to treat wild tusker PT 5 after eye injury

Kanjikode: The forest department plans to tranquillise wild tusker PT (Palakkad Tusker) Five, also known as Churuli Komban, by the first week of August to treat its eye injury. The lone tusker reportedly has lowered vision due to the grave injury. The place and date of the treatment will be finalised soon. The authorities plan to rope in Chief Veterinary Surgeon Dr Arun Zacharia for this mission. Meanwhile, Dr Arun is currently engaged in a mission to tranquillise a calf who had been causing trouble in Chooranimala at Thottilpalam. He will join this mission as soon as the one in Thottilpalam is over. 

Two kumki elephants will be brought from Wayanad to assist the forest officials. Valayar range officer RS Praveen said that the mission will enter the next phase only after finalising the place to park the vehicle as well as a spot to provide treatment to the elephant. Meanwhile, a team of experts comprising veterinary doctors, officers to shoot the elephant with tranquillisers and forest officials is observing the tusker. 

The forest officers have been administering medicines hidden in fruits to the tusker stationed at Malampuzha, Manthuruthy, and Kongattupadam over the last week. PT Five arrived at Kanjikode and Payattukad via Pannimada and IIT at night and was spotted in the populated areas. The tusker had caused widespread damage to the farms in the region. Five coconut trees were downed, and PT Five trampled upon acres of paddy. The elephant was also spotted at Kottamudi and Kadukampallam quarry areas. 

Meanwhile, the elephant has been driven into a gooseberry thicket near the quarry. The expert team surmises the tusker to be healthy as it can travel long distances and find food. However, further treatment would be decided only after the special veterinary team led by Dr Arun Zacharia inspects the tusker.