The wild tusker Padayappa has returned to its normal behaviour with its musth period having ended, authorities have confirmed. According to Forest department officials, the animal which frequents human inhabited areas in Munnar has not caused any damage for the last six days. For the past two months, Padayappa had been in the headlines for running down vehicles and wreaking havoc on shops.
On March 25 (Monday), the tusker entered the highway near the toll plaza at Devikulam on the Munnar-Bodimettu highway around 7 a.m. “The tusker which was camping on the road, approached an interstate KSRTC bus around 7.30 a.m., which was going from Munnar to Theni in Tamil Nadu. The animal was in search of food and did not charge at others vehicles or passengers. When they noticed the presence of the tusker on the road, the bus driver brought the vehicle to a standstill and all passengers to the rear,” said a Forest department official.
Devikulam range officer P.V. Vegi said that the tusker was rummaging through the KSRCT bus and did not cause any damage or harm. “The special team formed to monitor Padayappa and the Rapid Response Team (RRT) from Devikulam have also been camping in the area to monitor the animal’s movements. Later, it moved to a nearby forest,” said Mr. Vegi.
Retired forest veterinary officer Sunil Kumar explained that the tusker’s behaviour in the past few days indicates that the musth period has been completed. “Once the musth period is completed no musth fluid will be found streaming down the animal’s cheeks. The musth fluid has left stains on its cheeks, which will stay on for some more time before fading,“ said Mr. Kumar.
Panel report on conflicts awaited
However, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) district secretary M.N. Jayachandran said that the High Court-appointed panel for human-wildlife conflict has not yet submitted its report. “The panel is assigned to formulate recommendations for mitigating human-animal conflicts. However, the panel has yet to submit its report before the High Court,” said Mr. Jayachandaran.
“It was suspected that some groups were trying to translocate Padayappa, and other elephants from Munnar in the backdrop of protests,” he said.
