PT-7 after being tranquilised
Palakkad: A rapid response team that entered Dhoni forest region to capture the troublemaker Palakkad Tusker 7 (PT 7), tranquilised the elephant on Sunday at 7.10 am. Though the efforts to spot and tranquilise began on Saturday, the mission turned unsuccessful on the initial day.
The trekkers could spot PT 7 at Arimani region in the Dhoni forest range on Saturday morning. Usually, PT 7 does not prefer to enter the dense forests. However, the tusker moved to the thick forest areas at a steep valley after identifying human presence.
The rapid response team led by Dr Arun Sakariya was fully equipped to catch PT 7 by 4 am on Saturday itself. A team of trekkers entered the forest again before 5 am and found the tusker in Arimani forest by following its footprints.
The rapid response team arrived at the spot soon after the trekkers passed the information. After recognising the human presence, PT 7 moved quickly to the deep forest. Though the team could reach 40 to 50 metres near the tusker twice, the woods hindered the possibility to fire the tranquiliser gun. The efforts of the rapid response team ended up in vain on Saturday as the elephant moved to deep forest regions again.