With a herd of eight male elephants creating a havoc on the outskirts of Bengaluru, the Forest department is planning to capture and relocate them into the wild.
G S Kariyappa, Chief Conservator of Forests (Territorial), Bengaluru, told DH that the Forest department held a meeting on Monday to capture two of the eight tuskers. However, the meeting could not take a decision.
The forest divisions of Ramanagaram, Bengaluru Urban and Rural mooted the idea of capturing the eight tuskers "The proposal has been placed before the Chief Wildlife Warden for approval,'' Deputy Conservator of Forests Mahesh Kumar said.
The Forest department and experts from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) are keeping a watch on the movement of these elephants, aged between 10 and 35 years.
During the day, they take shelter in woods and raid crops in the night.
"Elephants are roaming around in different socio-patterns. Sometimes they raid crops and stray into urban lands in group of two or three and some times all the eight together. The route they tread is Ramanagaram-Savandurga-Bantarakuppe-Adrangi-Mijigal-Nelamanagala-Tumakuru and back. There have been stray cases where these elephants have even moved into Tamil Nadu forests.
The Forest department has found a similarity in raiding patterns of these elephants with those in Kodagu. Interestingly, Ranga, one of the 'notorious' wild tuskers of Bannerghatta National Park, joins this herd near Savandurga and Bannerghatta.
A team from IISc first reported these elephants raiding crops in Ramanagaram in 1997. Researchers have been studying their movement, pattern and behaviour, Kumar said.
Noted elephant expert Raman Sukumar from IISc said there is also a plan to radio-collar these elephants. "Earlier, the idea was to drive them towards Tamil Nadu. But, that did not materialise. It is in an interesting group to study as males are persistent raiders. In 1980s, we had seen males coming together to raid private areas located inside forests. In the last 10 years they are congregating and raiding outside forest patches,'' he said.
Sukumar said that it cannot be assured that these elephants will not stray out of the forest again. There was a case earlier when a young tusker was shifted into the forest and he traveled till Bheemgad and continued to stay inside the forest. The young ones are more likely to settle in forests, compared to the old, mature males, he added.
![]( "The Forest department and experts from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) are keeping a watch on the movement of these elephants, aged between 10 and 35 years.")
With a herd of eight male elephants creating a havoc on the outskirts of Bengaluru, the Forest department is planning to capture and relocate them into the wild.
G S Kariyappa, Chief Conservator of Forests (Territorial), Bengaluru, told DH that the Forest department held a meeting on Monday to capture two of the eight tuskers. However, the meeting could not take a decision.
The forest divisions of Ramanagaram, Bengaluru Urban and Rural mooted the idea of capturing the eight tuskers "The proposal has been placed before the Chief Wildlife Warden for approval,’’ Deputy Conservator of Forests Mahesh Kumar said.
The Forest department and experts from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) are keeping a watch on the movement of these elephants, aged between 10 and 35 years.
During the day, they take shelter in woods and raid crops in the night.
"Elephants are roaming around in different socio-patterns. Sometimes they raid crops and stray into urban lands in group of two or three and some times all the eight together. The route they tread is Ramanagaram-Savandurga-Bantarakuppe-Adrangi-Mijigal-Nelamanagala-Tumakuru and back. There have been stray cases where these elephants have even moved into Tamil Nadu forests.
The Forest department has found a similarity in raiding patterns of these elephants with those in Kodagu. Interestingly, Ranga, one of the 'notorious’ wild tuskers of Bannerghatta National Park, joins this herd near Savandurga and Bannerghatta.
A team from IISc first reported these elephants raiding crops in Ramanagaram in 1997. Researchers have been studying their movement, pattern and behaviour, Kumar said.
Noted elephant expert Raman Sukumar from IISc said there is also a plan to radio-collar these elephants. "Earlier, the idea was to drive them towards Tamil Nadu. But, that did not materialise. It is in an interesting group to study as males are persistent raiders. In 1980s, we had seen males coming together to raid private areas located inside forests. In the last 10 years they are congregating and raiding outside forest patches,’’ he said.
Sukumar said that it cannot be assured that these elephants will not stray out of the forest again. There was a case earlier when a young tusker was shifted into the forest and he traveled till Bheemgad and continued to stay inside the forest. The young ones are more likely to settle in forests, compared to the old, mature males, he added.
G S Kariyappa, Chief Conservator of Forests (Territorial), Bengaluru, told DH that the Forest department held a meeting on Monday to capture two of the eight tuskers. However, the meeting could not take a decision.
The forest divisions of Ramanagaram, Bengaluru Urban and Rural mooted the idea of capturing the eight tuskers "The proposal has been placed before the Chief Wildlife Warden for approval,'' Deputy Conservator of Forests Mahesh Kumar said.
The Forest department and experts from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) are keeping a watch on the movement of these elephants, aged between 10 and 35 years.
During the day, they take shelter in woods and raid crops in the night.
"Elephants are roaming around in different socio-patterns. Sometimes they raid crops and stray into urban lands in group of two or three and some times all the eight together. The route they tread is Ramanagaram-Savandurga-Bantarakuppe-Adrangi-Mijigal-Nelamanagala-Tumakuru and back. There have been stray cases where these elephants have even moved into Tamil Nadu forests.
The Forest department has found a similarity in raiding patterns of these elephants with those in Kodagu. Interestingly, Ranga, one of the 'notorious' wild tuskers of Bannerghatta National Park, joins this herd near Savandurga and Bannerghatta.
A team from IISc first reported these elephants raiding crops in Ramanagaram in 1997. Researchers have been studying their movement, pattern and behaviour, Kumar said.
Noted elephant expert Raman Sukumar from IISc said there is also a plan to radio-collar these elephants. "Earlier, the idea was to drive them towards Tamil Nadu. But, that did not materialise. It is in an interesting group to study as males are persistent raiders. In 1980s, we had seen males coming together to raid private areas located inside forests. In the last 10 years they are congregating and raiding outside forest patches,'' he said.
Sukumar said that it cannot be assured that these elephants will not stray out of the forest again. There was a case earlier when a young tusker was shifted into the forest and he traveled till Bheemgad and continued to stay inside the forest. The young ones are more likely to settle in forests, compared to the old, mature males, he added.
With a herd of eight male elephants creating a havoc on the outskirts of Bengaluru, the Forest department is planning to capture and relocate them into the wild. G S Kariyappa, Chief Conservator of Forests (Territorial), Bengaluru, told DH that the Forest department held a meeting on Monday to capture two of the eight tuskers. However, the meeting could not take a decision.
The forest divisions of Ramanagaram, Bengaluru Urban and Rural mooted the idea of capturing the eight tuskers "The proposal has been placed before the Chief Wildlife Warden for approval,’’ Deputy Conservator of Forests Mahesh Kumar said.
The Forest department and experts from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) are keeping a watch on the movement of these elephants, aged between 10 and 35 years.
During the day, they take shelter in woods and raid crops in the night.
"Elephants are roaming around in different socio-patterns. Sometimes they raid crops and stray into urban lands in group of two or three and some times all the eight together. The route they tread is Ramanagaram-Savandurga-Bantarakuppe-Adrangi-Mijigal-Nelamanagala-Tumakuru and back. There have been stray cases where these elephants have even moved into Tamil Nadu forests.
The Forest department has found a similarity in raiding patterns of these elephants with those in Kodagu. Interestingly, Ranga, one of the 'notorious’ wild tuskers of Bannerghatta National Park, joins this herd near Savandurga and Bannerghatta.
A team from IISc first reported these elephants raiding crops in Ramanagaram in 1997. Researchers have been studying their movement, pattern and behaviour, Kumar said.
Noted elephant expert Raman Sukumar from IISc said there is also a plan to radio-collar these elephants. "Earlier, the idea was to drive them towards Tamil Nadu. But, that did not materialise. It is in an interesting group to study as males are persistent raiders. In 1980s, we had seen males coming together to raid private areas located inside forests. In the last 10 years they are congregating and raiding outside forest patches,’’ he said.
Sukumar said that it cannot be assured that these elephants will not stray out of the forest again. There was a case earlier when a young tusker was shifted into the forest and he traveled till Bheemgad and continued to stay inside the forest. The young ones are more likely to settle in forests, compared to the old, mature males, he added.