Kumki elephants join search for wild animal that killed man in BRT Tiger Reserve

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Cages had been installed near the site of the wild animal attack in Sanegala in BRT Tiger reserve in Chamarajanagar. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Two trained kumki elephants have joined the operation launched by the Forest Department to trace the wild animal that attacked and killed a 65-year-old man in Sanegala village in the Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve in Chamarajanagar district.

The victim, Basavanna, a resident of Badagalapura village in Chamarajanagar taluk, died in the suspected wild animal attack on September 14 while he was working in the fields.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Deputy Conservator of Forests and Director of BRT Tiger Reserve said the two kumki elephants from the Dubare Elephant Camp had been brought in to assist the search.

After a post-mortem examination at the Chamarajanagar district hospital, the body was handed over to the family members. On September 15, Minister in-charge of Chamarajanagar district C. Puttarangashetty, accompanied by senior Forest Department officials, visited Badagalapura and handed over a compensation cheque for ₹5 lakh from the BRT Tiger Foundation Fund to the victim’s next of kin. Chamarajanagar MP Sunil Bose also visited the site of the incident and the victim’s village.

Detailing the other measures taken to identify the animal, the statement said camera traps and cages had been installed near the site and in the surrounding forest areas. “These are inspected every morning and the findings reported to senior officials,” it said.

A swab sample from the body and a hair sample found at the site have been sent to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, for analysis.

The forest areas near the site, as well as fallow agricultural land and government hillocks in neighbouring villages, were searched during the day and at night using a thermal drone and sniffer dogs. Posters have been put up and announcements made through loudspeakers in neighbouring villages, warning residents to exercise caution and avoid venturing out.

Daily patrols are also being conducted in forest areas, canals, ponds and stone quarries, with the help of trained tribal members, to look for pugmarks and other signs of the animal.

“However, no signs or traces of the animal responsible for the attack have been found so far. The search operation is continuing,” the statement added.

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