The elephant has been creating trouble in villages for the past one week
Sharp-shooter Nawab Shafath Ali Khan had rushed to Bihar to tackle a rogue elephant that is creating terror in a village in Gaya district.
The male tusker aged about 15 years entered into the Gaya district of Bihar a week ago from the adjoining Jharkhand State. It created havoc in the villages around the hilly terrain on the borders of the States. Efforts of the local forest officials to send it back have turned futile.
Following a call from the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Bihar, Mr. Khan reached Patna on Wednesday evening. He was asked to tranquilise the elephant and guide the Forest Department in sending back the tusker. A team of 20 persons will be assisting Mr. Khan in the job.
“I will be reaching the area on Thursday morning and study the problem. It is a challenging task as the animal is taking shelter in the hilly terrain during the day and coming down into the villages during the night time,” the Nawab told The Hindu over phone from Patna.
Mr. Khan took along with a tranquilising gun and some sedatives. “I plan to dart the animal when it would be retreating into the forest in the morning. It has to be tranquilised from a distance of 30 metres. We will use sedatives and the animal will become drowsy in ten minutes. Later, we will tie its legs with a rope and mount into a truck for translocation,” he explains.
He had asked the Bihar Forest Department to arrange three trained elephants from West Bengal.