Kozhikode: Forest Minister AK Saseendran stated that efforts to capture the man-killer elephant ‘Belur Makhna’ will continue. The Minister informed that the officials are working in coordination with their counterparts in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to put an end to the persisting problem. 

The elephant, which is currently in the Karnataka forest region, is being closely monitored  

The Forest Minister said that the “Belur Makhna will be darted the moment it steps foot on Kerala forests.”

Saseendran noted that Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav meeting the bereaved families in Wayanad was a good gesture. He, however, said that the “Central Minister was on an unofficial visit.”  

The Kerala Forest Minister stated that he wouldn't be holding a meeting with the Union Minister. He also reminded that “it is ultimately the responsibility of the union government to find a solution to the human-wildlife conflicts.”

Defending the decision to register cases against a few persons who participated in the protest in Wayanad last week following Paul’s death, the Kerala Minister said that “they were not booked for participating in the protests but for inciting violence.”