A wild elephant that sparked a heated argument and legal dispute in Kerala, an American state in southern India, has been moved to cat supply.
According to authorities, Arikomban, known as the” grain dragon” in Malayalam and known for his attacks on nearby grain stores, has killed seven people.
His main habitat’s locals had been calling for his evacuation for months.
He was calmed down on Saturday and transported to the Periyar Tiger Reserve, which is located about 80 kilometers( 50 miles ) away.
The objective has been deemed successful by government officials, who claim to be keeping an eye on Arikomban’s movements and to have received the first set of indicators from a radio collar that is attached to him.
However, protesters contend that the discussion raises a bigger problem of human-wildlife fight and cannot be resolved by eliminating one animal.
Nearly 30 000 jungle animals live in India, making up about 60 % of all wild Asian elephant species, according to the most recent elephant survey conducted in 2017. Conflicts result when they invade animal environments and raid crops due to habitat loss and separation.
People who spent decades living close to the Devikulam woods variety in the Idukki district were accustomed to seeing Arikomban, which was thought to be older than 30 years old. The rhinoceros caused much problems when he came foraging for food in the past, when the area’s houses were made of bamboo and foliage, according to visitors who reported this to The New Indian Express news.
However, as the people increased and material homes became more common, elephants began causing damage to structures and engaging in human run-ins, which sparked local demonstrations.
The position forest department initially intended to capture Arikomban and train him to be an elephant imprisoned. However, proponents of animal security petitioned the Kerala higher court to oppose this.
How may we keep capturing all animals and keeping them in captivity? said MN Jayachandran, a naturalist.
Numerous individuals or church boards own hundreds of imprisoned elephants in Kerala, which are leased out for events like church festivals. They are frequently mistreated, according to activists, who have worked to raise awareness of their situation for centuries.
The huge courtyard now established a five-member committee, which suggested that the rhinoceros be captured and moved to an area with little chance of encountering people. People in the Palakkad district protested the panel’s basic proposal to move the elephant to the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve.
The Keralan authorities now filed an appeal with the Supreme Court challenging the high court’s decision to move Arikomban. Though, the best court declined to get involved in the case.
The government then started looking for other places to travel the elephant and launched a heavy operation to track it down and catch it, involving an army of 150 officials.
A calmed Arikomban was herded into a trailer on Saturday and transported to the Periyar Tiger Reserve after two days of surgery.
According to reports, authorities had implemented a curfew and sent out police officers in case locals objected to Arikomban’s presence. However, the animal’s presence was reportedly met with applause.
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