Capturing wild elephant with the help of Kumki in Attapadi | Kerala

To confine a wild animal ain't an easy task especially when the beast is over a thousand times the size of a normal human being. Wild elephants entering human settlements isn't anything unusual for the inhabitants, but things go west when they start attacking people. Wild elephants usually enter dwelling areas for food and attacks are less likely to happen. Well, you cant expect the same all the time.

One such wild elephant made frequent visits to the neighboring village in Attapadi; a tribal as well as a protected area in Kerala - bordering Tamil Nadu. This elephant was rogue and considered people as targets. The elephant has taken the lives of seven over a period of a year. People started to be cautious, daily normal lives were affected and more importantly, night activity almost reduced to zero because this is when the wild usually show up.

The 7th and the last victim was a man named Peelandi. Although wild animals are not identified by a particular name, this elephant was gaining attention and was bestowed the name Peelandi. As matters got to such an extend, elders from the villages approached forest officials and requested them to take the animal down. But, the officials can't simply just shoot it down, they need to get the clearance from the government. The authorities will give the permission to kill a wild elephant only if it has claimed the lives of minimum 10 people. This caused an uproar among the residents and out of displeasure they asked 3 forest officials to give up their life. 

Finally, as the matter got attention, the authorities decided to nab the wild elephant with the help of Kumki elephants. Kumki is a specially trained elephant held in captivity and its sole purpose is to corner a wild elephant and also load it on to a truck. Yes!, these elephants literally force the beast to get on a truck. Watch the video to know how its done. The wild elephant will then be transported to a rehabilitation and training center and later released into the wild again. 

It took over a month to plan and get all the resources for the operation. One fine day few locals spotted the wild elephant drinking water from a lake and that's when the entire force came into action. 4 KUMKI's were pressed into action - two from Kerala and two from Tamil Nadu. The entire operation lasted for 6 long hours. Peelandi was tranquilized with a dart short at first, but it wasn't enough to sedate the animal, it got furious and raged to the Kumki elephants. A second shot by the veterinarian brought it into control. Peelandi is now being trained in a rehab in Kerala.

Just like how governments administer a particular area, these wild elephants has also got their region. After Peelandi was taken into captivity it has been reported that 4 other wild elephants have entered the territory. However, these elephants are here only for feeding their tummy.