One hundred forest department employees, twelve veterinarians and five trained elephants with their mahouts, camping in the forests off Nelamangala in Bengaluru Rural district, captured a wild tusker on Friday. The tusker had trampled to death two farmers near Sompura recently and another one in Gubbi, Tumakuru district, a few weeks ago.
Four wild elephants have been captured in the last few months; they are part of a group of eight that have found themselves in conflict situations with humans along the stretch between Bannerghatta National Park and Tumakuru.
Shivanna, a forest official in Bengaluru Rural district, said the team shifted camp from Veerasagara forest range to Hosahalli lake near Kouchugal Veerabhadra hillock on Friday when they suspected the tusker, Iravatha, was moving in that direction. Trained elephants from Mysuru, Abhimanyu, Gajendra, Bheema, Harsha and Drona, chased Iravatha, and veterinarian K S Umashankar tranquillized it at 1pm. It was shifted to Bannerghatta National Park.