Tusker dies in captivity

Thiruvananthapuram, June 17 (UNI) The ''rouge tusker'' which had killed twelve people and continuously raided and destroyed crops, has died in captivity at Peppara.

The tusker, which was a permanent headache to the tribals and forest officials for more than a month, was captured and caged in the Agastiyar forests with the help of kumkhi elephants, brought from Tamil Nadu, on June one last by the Forest Department following wide spread complaints from the tribals.

The pachyderm, which was being trained by kumkhi elephants in the cage, was apparently normal till in the afternoon. However, it developed fever and collapsed in the wooden cage in the evening and the end came by around 2100 hours.

The Forest Department had decided to train the elephant for two months and convert it into a kumkhi elephant.

A port-mortem will be conducted on the carcass of the elephant today.

UNI CGV KVV SRS DS1217