KERALA – Indian forest officials tranquillised and transported a wild tusker elephant that loved rice and killed at least six people, according to media reports.
The male elephant, known as Arikomban or “rice-tusker”, gained fame in the southern state of Kerala for robbing stores of their supplies of rice and other grains.
The elephant was captured on Saturday by a squad of 150 forest officials after being shot five times with tranquillisers. It was eventually forced and pushed onto a vehicle by four kumki elephants — trained elephants used to catch others — while having its legs tied and blindfolded.
It was then brought to a nature preserve and given a GPS collar.
Over 60% of wild Asian elephants, according to a survey, live in India. India has a population of 29,964 elephants, as per the 2017 census of wild animals in the country.
In the east of the nation, a tiger known as the “Man-Eater of Champaran” murdered at least nine people before being killed by Indian authorities the previous year.
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