The elephant, notorious for its ration shop raids and love for rice, was spotted in the Rosapookkandam area near Kumily.
Arikomban sleeping in a tea plantation in Munnar.
Arikomban, the rice-eating tusker that was translocated from Chinnakanal in the Idukki district of Kerala to the interiors of the Periyar Tiger Reserve has been spotted roaming around the inlands of Kumily in the hill district causing some worry among locals, forest officials said on Friday, 26 May.
The jumbo was said to be found just some metres away from an inhabited area in Kumily, around 85 km away from its original abode Chinnakkanal, on Thursday night, they said.
The elephant, notorious for its ration shop raids and love for rice, was spotted in the Rosapookkandam area last night and the wildlife officials fired in the air to drive it back to the forest, a senior forest official said.
Forest officials have been closely monitoring the presence of the translocated tusker through GPS signals from the radio collar attached to it.
Arikomban roams around a tea estate in Munnar before capturing. (Supplied)
“Arikomban was found just six kilometres away from the Kumily town. When it reached some 100 metres away from the inhabited area, we fired in the air to scare the animal and drive it back to the forest,” the official told PTI.
The official said as per their assumption, the jumbo went back to Medakanam in the Thekkady area by Thursday night itself.
When asked whether there is any chance of the elephant going back to Chinnakkanal, he said the possibility is remote as of now.
“It seems that the animal is moving within a particular circle in the Kerala-Tamil Nadu forest area. As there is plenty of water, it frequently comes back to the Periyar Tiger Reserve region,” he added.
The pachyderm was captured in what was called “Mission Arikomban”, which culminated on 29 April, when the eponymous rice-thieving tusker was subdued with tranquillisers and relocated to the Periyar Tiger Reserve
An earlier move to shift Arikomban to Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Palakkad was abandoned after intense protests by locals living close to the forest there.
Arikomban after administering the first round of tranquilising darts. (Supplied)
Arikomban is a portmanteau of the Malayalam words Ari, meaning rice, and Komban, meaning tusker.
The elephant, with short tusks, a stout physique, and a broad skull, is reportedly aged 25.
There are unsubstantiated claims that he killed seven people besides vandalising numerous houses and shops.
The elephant, with a penchant for rice, remained elusive till early morning on Saturday despite large-scale arrangements to capture him.
The preparations included a dummy ration shop, four kumkis (trained elephants), and eight teams of more than 30 elephant experts.
Noted forest veterinarian Arun Zakaria coordinated the efforts.
According to officials, Arikomban was captured after administering tranquilliser darts five times.
A poster of the film ‘Arikomban’. (Supplied)
The shooting of Arikomban, a new movie based on the wild elephant of the same name will begin in October this year.
Arikomban, the rogue elephant, regularly went to local ration shops and kitchens of houses to feed on rice, jaggery, and salt in the Chinnakanal and Santhanpara regions of the Idukki district.
The tusker has been held responsible for trampling as many as 11 people to death over the years, bit many of these are unsubstantiated claims.
(With PTI inputs)
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