Trained female elephant arrives to tame wild elephant

Bhubaneswar,Mar 06 (UNI) A trained female elephant and her four-and- a-half-year old calf had arrived at the Birramchandrapur village in coastal Orissa to tame a wild elephant in shackles for the last six days.

The wild elephant was tranquilised and chained after it sneaked into the village and trampled to death two labourers and injured another.

Finding no option to tame the wild elephant, the Wildlife officials finally decided to requisition the trained female elephant Sobha, brought from Karnataka to be used in Simlipal forest for anti-poaching.

The idea behind the scheme was that the wild elephant will be socialised once he comes in contact with other elephants, more particularly a female elephant.

Divisional Forest Officer of Chandaka Wildlife Division S K Mishra told UNI today that the female elephant and her calf had travelled 360 kms from Simlipal and arrived at the village this afternoon. Both were later taken to the place where the wild elephant was in shackles, to familiarise them.

Mr Mishra said as the mother elephant and her calf seemed to be very tired they would be allowed to go near the wild tusker in bid to cool his behaviour. This would help the forest officials to relocate him in the forest.

The DFO said once the wild elephant gets acquainted with the female elephant, steps would be taken to release him in a dense forest.

The forest officials are still clueless as to from where the wild tusker had sneaked into the human habitation.

They are apprehending that it might have strayed from the Chandaka Elephant Sanctuary.

Mr Mishra said the wild elephant had sustained injuries on several parts of its body, probably during its journey to the village.

He said once the elephant was relocated, efforts would be made to train him to become pet and then only it would be released into the forest or inside the Chandaka Elephant Sanctuary.

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