PALAKKAD: The three wild tuskers straying into the residential areas near Ottappallam in Palakkad district brings a fresh dimension to the incidents of wild animals straying into human habitats. Although the elephants passed through populated area they have not caused major damages to crops or other properties. According to the latest information the trio started a trek back to the forests and crossed the NH from Mundur region to Kaladikodan forest region at around 7.45 p.m. on Friday night after keeping the people in a large swathe of area in Palakkad and Thrissur districts on tenterhooks for five days since Monday.
On Friday evening, two Kumki tuskers were brought in by the forest department from Parambikkulam to guide the tuskers back to the forest. According to officials, the final round of efforts to guide the three back to their habitat in Malampuzha forest would be held with the help of Kumki elephants. The operation is expected to be completed by Saturday morning by making sure that the wild pachyderms did not return from the forest again to the residential areas.
The crucial part of the operation is expected to take place either on Friday night or on Saturday morning at Kayaramkode on Palakkad-Kozhikode Highway near Mundur. The traffic on the NH is presently blocked by the cops and the vehicles have been diverted.
“Crackers were blasted with the help of specially trained forest guards from Wayanad and the wild tuskers crossed the NH to the side of the forest,” Palakkad district collector P. Marykutty said. “But, tuskers seeing workers in the rubber plantation and paddy fields on that side suddenly took a U-turn and came back to their earlier position crossing the NH.” The three wild tuskers from Malampuzha Forest had strayed away to residential areas on Monday and travelled nearly 20 kilometers to the south to the Thrissur border areas near Bharathapuzha. They entered the water in Bharathapuzha River on Tuesday morning and all the three swam in the river near Kuthambully region in Thrissur and the journey back to the habitat started on Wednesday.
With the active involvement of forest guards and a large posse of local police, crackers were blasted during the day which made them traverse nearly 15 kilometers from Bharathapuzha towards the north to reach Mundur. On Thursday night they had crossed the crucial Palakkad-Ottapalam railway line near Mankara railway station and fire torches were being lit by the cops and guards to direct them to forest at night. They pass through Mankurissi and Mundur and are expected to pass through Olavakkode, Aarangottukulambu, Kanjikkodu and Walayar before reaching the Malampuzha forest. Three tuskers had caused trouble to the residents of Mangottukurissi last week and it took the forest guards of Alathur Range and the local police a whole day to direct the wild tuskers to the forest again.
