Operation Rolex begins; tusker darted with tranquilizer escapes into the wild

COIMBATORE: The forest department began an operation on Tuesday night to capture a wild tusker named Rolex that frequently strays into human habitations in Boluvampatti and Coimbatore forest ranges damaging crops and posing a threat to humans.

The tusker has killed three people in the last two months.Boluvampatti forest ranger K Jayachandran said the Rolex was spotted near Kembanur in the Coimbatore forest range on Tuesday evening. Forest department officers, along with veterinarians, rushed to the location and darted the elephant with tranquilizers. However, it managed to flee into the forest after being darted. He added that a tracking team was monitoring the elephant.Boluvampatti forest ranger K Jayachandran and Coimbatore forest ranger V Thirumurugam are leading the operation. The team has three veterinarians, a tracking team and three mahouts with their assistants. The department has brought three kumkis -- Muthu, Narasimma and Kapildev -- from the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and stationed them in Kembanur. The kumkis will assist the forest department in maneuvring the wild tusker into a truck for translocation.

Once the elephant is captured, it will be taken to the Varagaliyar elephant camp. After assessing its medical condition, it will be released into the deep forest.The locals had recently staged protests demanding the tusker be captured. Following that, officials prepared a detailed report on the tusker’s behaviour and the damage it had caused to humans. This report was sent to the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) for permission for the translocation of Rolex. On Sept 4, the CWLW issued an order to capture and translocate Rolex.The tusker is named Rolex because of its impressive stature. It weighs around 4.5 tonnes and is more than feet tall.