Rogue tusker Muttikomban breaches fences in Wayanad, evades capture again

Bathery: Muttikomban, the wild tusker that killed a young farmer, Rajeev, at Pachadi two weeks ago, has struck again,smashing through electric fences along the forest fringes to raid nearby farmlands.

Even with 10 Forest Department teams on the ground to track and drive it away, the elephant continues to outwit surveillance and move undetected. Efforts to capture the tusker, identified by the department as Thavur Tusker 1, have gathered pace, with the construction of a cage currently underway at the Muthanga elephant camp.

Built using sturdy eucalyptus logs, the cage is expected to be ready within a couple of days. “Once completed, the department will move to initiate the capture operation,” said Varun Dalia, Wildlife Warden of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.

The official also noted that even when driven deep into the forest, the elephant tends to return quickly to the farmlands of Vadakkanad. Hence, capturing and relocating it has been recommended to the Chief Wildlife Warden as the most effective solution.

A squad of trained kumki elephants, comprising Vikram, Surya, Pramukha and Unnikrishnan, has been deployed in the affected area, with another kumki, Konni Surendran, expected to join the operation camp soon. The kumki elephants are carrying out daytime patrols while also acting as a night-time barrier to prevent the tusker from straying into human settlements. They will remain stationed in the area until Muttikomban is captured.

Meanwhile, the functioning of hanging electric fences along the forest boundary is being monitored in real time using an internet-based application. According to the Forest Department, personnel at the Divisional Emergency Operation Centre are keeping a constant watch and relaying updates as required.

Habitual crop raider
Warden Varun Dalia describes Muttikomban as a `risk-taking, frequent crop raider' that is known to cleverly breach barriers, including electric fences, in its quest for food. The tusker typically enters farmlands past midnight, bypassing defensive measures and retreats to the forest only by early morning after prolonged foraging.