The bull elephant that trampled two persons to death and kept the Telangana Forest Department on tenterhooks for three days finally returned to Maharashtra on Friday night.
The jumbo got separated from its herd and entered Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district after crossing the Pranahitha river. It attacked a farmer at Burepally village of Karjelly range on April 3.
Even as the district officials started teaming up to track the animal, another instance of trampling was reported from Kondapally village of Penchikalpet range, in which the attacked farmer died.
The two incidents had Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden Mohan Chandra Pargaien rushing to the district to monitor the tracking efforts. The elephant did not appear to have been in ‘musth’, which is a condition among bull elephants seen during mating season and marked by aggression.
Subsequently, the district administration imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in five mandals of the district where the movement of the elephant was being tracked. Hulla parties, trained in chasing away wild animals with torches and drumbeats, were summoned from the Maharashtra border.
Forest, Police and Revenue departments teamed up to visit the villages and alert the residents not to venture out into agricultural fields and forest. The pachyderm was monitored by surveillance teams from atop the Mission Bhagiratha tanks.
Rescue efforts could not be taken up due to a lack of expertise or aid in Telangana, where wild elephant attacks were unheard of. Kumki elephants, used in taming the wild ones, would have cost much time and effort. Tranquillisation was kept as the last option because of the method’s potential to endanger the lives of animals.
The elephant returned to Maharashtra via the same route, crossing the Pranahitha river, said Mr. Pargaien. The same was confirmed by Maharashtra forest officials, he said. However, instructions were given to the foresters to keep a watch on the border areas for 24 hours.
