Crisis ends as elephant herd is driven away from H.D. Kote town

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The four elephants went into the sugarcane fields belonging to a local resident in H.D. Kote.— PHOTO: By special arrangement

They were seen inching closer towards their habitat near Sollepura forests

Four elephants, part of a herd, which had closed in on H.D. Kote town, were driven away from human habitation. By Tuesday evening, they were inching closer towards their habitat near Sollepura forests.

By 6.30 p.m. they were close to Boothanuru, which is about 3 km from the Sollepura forests adjoining the Nagarahole National Park.

Deputy Conservator of Forests V. Karikalan said the crisis was over as the herd had moved 5 km away from H.D. Kote town by Tuesday evening, and was heading towards the forests.

In the morning, the elephants had ensconced themselves in the sugarcane fields and banana plantation belonging to a local resident and efforts to drive them into the forests proved futile owing to the burgeoning crowd. Hence, the operation was launched late in the evening when the crowd dispersed.

The elephants are suspected to be part of a larger herd of eight elephants and may have split from them while being driven back into their natural habitat. While four elephants retraced their steps to the Sollepura forests of the Nagarahole National Park on Monday, the remaining four lost their way and ventured close to the town.

Mr. Karikalan told The Hindu that the elephants were first sighted near Antharsanthe and they have been playing hide-and-seek with forest officials since then — making a brief appearance outside the agricultural fields and hiding in the thicket of the sugarcane fields where they found sanctuary.

“The elephants were led towards Sollepura forests as they are familiar with the habitat and can find their way back home from there,” he added. Besides, there are only a few farmhouses along the route, and hence safe.

Based on the profile of the herd which comprises of three tuskers and one female elephant or a makhna (a male without a tusk), the authorities suspect it to be part of the same herd which had entered Hunsur town in 2013. Both Bandipur and Nagarahole harbour about 2,800 to 3,000 elephants respectively as per the 2012 estimations, but only about 40 of them are ‘habitual offenders’ and tend to raid crops on the forest fringes, say officials.