20-member team along with kumkis are planning to enter forest after 3 p.m.
20-member team along with kumkis are planning to enter forest after 3 p.m.
The Forest Department’s efforts to drive back the single-tusker into deep forest in Talavadi were delayed due to heavy rain on Saturday. The elephant had killed a farmer last week.
The operation began on Friday evening with teams waiting along with two kumkis at Eripuram village. But the tusker was not spotted. The 20-member team had planned to enter the forest in the early hours on Saturday. Owing to continuous rain, the plan has been postponed.
S. Sathish, Talavadi Range Officer, told The Hindu that the team comprising Anti-Depredation Squads, elephant tracking team and veterinarian, along with two kumkis, Chinnathambi and Rajavardhan, would enter the forest after 3 p.m. “Since it’s a scrub jungle and the terrains in the area are new to kumkis, we will maintain caution,” he added.
