Finding it difficult to drive away the three tuskers which have been moving around villages in Hassan taluk, the Deputy Conservator of Forests in Hassan has written to senior officers seeking permission to capture them.
Three tuskers, first noticed in the villages a week ago, are now settled at Tirumala Devara Gudda, about 20 kilometres from Hassan. For more than a week, the Forest Department has been trying to drive away the elephants back to the forest areas.
“We drove them away a couple of times, but they returned. We are making all efforts to keep them away from human habitat,” said Ravindra Kumar, Assistant Conservator of Forests.
The department has brought in two tamed elephants to help with the operation to drive them away. Eight mahouts are also assisting the forest officers in their operation. For a day, the officers had used a drone also to track the movement of tuskers. However, these efforts did not yield expected results.
Mr. Ravindra Kumar said, “We have written to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests asking for permission to capture the elephants. We are waiting for the response to begin our operations to capture them.”
The three tuskers are between 25 to 30 years of age. It is not clear from where they reached the area. They have already damaged crops in agriculture fields, besides causing panic in Chakenahalli, Kelavarthi, Haruvanahalli and surrounding villages in Hassan taluk.
Hassan MLA H.S. Prakash has also urged the Forest Department to capture the elephants soon.