Tusker involved in trampling two men to death captured in Karnataka's Chikkamagaluru

Chikkamagaluru (Karnataka), Nov 3 (PTI) After a nearly 17-hour operation, the Karnataka Forest Department managed to safely immobilise and capture a 40-year-old tusker that trampled two people to death in this district, officials said on Monday.

Umesh (43) and Harish (42) in Kerekatte range of the Kudremukh wildlife division here were killed on October 31, they said.

Both of them lived on the periphery of Kudremukh National Park and had gone to the forest to collect leaves for cowshed when the elephant attacked them, resulting in their deaths, officials said.

According to the forest department, on Sunday morning, five trained elephants and around 150 officials involved in the operation captured the tusker which was spotted near the Bhagavathi Nature Camp in this district, following which veterinarians fired a tranquiliser dart.

"Acting on authorisation from the Chief Wildlife Warden, the Karnataka Forest Department concluded a 17-hour operation to safely immobilise and capture the "Mallandur" (wild) tusker near Bhagavathi Nature Camp in Kudremukh National Park," a senior department official said.

No personnel or public were injured in the operation, he said.

"The tranquilised tusker is stated to be stable and is currently at Dodda Harave elephant camp, where it is kept under observation," he said.

Explaining the operation, the officer said it began at first light under a minimal-chase, welfare-first protocol. Trained ground trackers, veterinarians, and kumki elephants worked in coordinated sectors while thermal-imaging drones provided real-time situational awareness and helped maintain public safety.

"At 4.45 pm, the veterinary team successfully darted the tusker. The animal was stabilised on site, continuously monitored, and moved along a pre-vetted, terrain-safe egress using reinforced extraction equipment," he added. PTI AMP KH