Rogue elephant captured in Hassan district: Forest officials

A rogue elephant named "Sara Martin" was captured in a forest operation in Hassan district, India. The elephant had been causing fear and damaging crops in the area. The operation involved the deployment of eight trained elephants and will continue until two more rogue elephants are captured.

A rogue elephant, aged about 30 years, was captured near Nallur village of Belur taluk in Hassan district on Saturday in an operation conducted by the forest department, officials said.

The operation commenced on January 12 in Bikkodu village of Belur taluk and was concluded on Saturday morning at Sahara estate, spanning Nallur and Muddanaikanahallipur villages (HT)

The elephant, named “Sara Martin,” had been causing fear in Hoskote Hobali range of Alur taluk in the district. The operation, led by deputy conservator of forests Sourabh Kumar, involved deployment of eight trained elephants from Dubare and Mattigodu elephant camps in Kodagu district.

The operation commenced on January 12 in Bikkodu village of Belur taluk and was concluded on Saturday morning at Sahara estate, spanning Nallur and Muddanaikanahallipur villages. The team of elephants deployed in the operation included Abhimanyu, Sugriva, Dhananjaya, Prashantha, Bhima, Harsha, Ashwaththama, and Mahendra.

The rogue elephant had been causing disturbances in the area, wandering alone and damaging crops. Despite the financial losses, people were concerned about safety.

“We are facing hardships due to the wild elephant menace and incurring losses,” said B N Veera Bhadrappa, a farmer from Bikkodu village. “We could not come out from our houses after 7, as the elephants created terror among villagers for a year. The capturing of the wild elephant would at least reduce the menace. We even staged protests many times to urge the department to catch elephants. The demand is now fulfilled,” he added.

“Further actions would be taken in accordance with the directives of the government and the forest department,” DCF Sourabh Kumar said. “The operation will continue until the capture of another two rogue elephants identified by the department that created havoc in the region,” he added.

The state government, in June last year, permitted the capture of nine elephants, of which six have already been translocated. “The captured elephant was translocated to Matthigodu elephant camp in the Nagarhole region on Saturday night. We are waiting for orders from higher authorities whether to continue capturing more elephants,” the DCF said.