Wild elephant that killed woman captured after marathon operation in Hassan

Hassan: The forest department on Tuesday successfully captured the wild elephant that had killed a woman named Shobha near Mugali village in Sakleshpur taluk on July 13, bringing relief to residents of the Malnad region who had been living in fear for nearly two weeks.

The capture operation lasted over three hours and involved a coordinated effort by the Forest Department, Elephant Task Force (ETF), veterinarians, and trained kumki elephants. Despite being administered sedative darts, the rogue elephant continued to move for nearly 12 kilometres before finally collapsing in a coffee estate in Belur taluk.

According to officials, the elephant had entered Hassan district from Kodagu around two weeks ago and fatally attacked Shobha while she was working in a coffee plantation. Following the incident, the animal repeatedly charged at villagers and plantation workers, triggering panic across Sakleshpur, Alur, and surrounding areas.

In view of the growing threat, the Forest Minister granted permission on January 14 to launch a capture operation. Five trained kumki elephants—Dhananjaya, Sugreeva, Lakshmana, Srirama, and Ayyappa—were brought from Dubare and Harangi elephant camps and stationed at a temporary camp near Bhairapura in Alur taluk.

ETF personnel began tracking the elephant early on January 16, but when ground efforts failed, drones were deployed to locate it. The elephant was eventually spotted in a forested area near Chandapura village in Belur taluk. Kumki elephants were transported to the spot by truck, and the operation began around 3 pm.

Veterinarian Dr Ramesh fired the first tranquiliser dart at about 3.45 pm. However, the elephant continued to run through coffee estates, farmland, and even stopped briefly at a pond to drink water. A second sedative was administered, but the animal remained active for nearly two more hours.

At around 6.45 pm, the elephant finally collapsed in a coffee plantation near Bellavara village. Forest staff immediately provided water, administered a reversal injection, and secured the animal with ropes. After regaining partial consciousness, the elephant became aggressive, but the kumki elephants surrounded it and guided it to an open area. Using a crane, officials safely loaded the elephant onto a truck and shifted it out of the region.

Despite darkness, hundreds of onlookers gathered at the site, forcing forest officials to struggle to manage the crowd. Authorities said the operation’s success has significantly eased tension in the region and assured that further steps will be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.

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