Mission Arikompan:
The forest department has initiated ‘Mission Arikomban’, an operation to capture the rogue tusker.
- The plan is to capture it with tranquilizer shots and later shift it to an elephant training center.
- The operation was originally slated to begin on March 25.
- For this mission, the forest department has built a rapid response team of 71 members.
- Chief forest veterinary surgeon Arun Zackariah is heading the 11 groups of the rapid response team for the mission.
- A wild elephant by the name of Arikomban has been causing chaos in the higher ranges of Idukki district.
- Arikomban is a rogue tusker, infamous for its habit of raiding rice shops and causing destruction in its path.
- Over the past few years, Arikomban has trampled at least 10 people to death and destroyed around 60 houses and shops.
- The forest department has come up with a plan to capture Arikomban and train it to be a ‘kumki’, a captive elephant used for operations against rogue elephants.
