In the ongoing struggle of human-animal conflict along the forest fringes in Kerala, official records have revealed that the state government spent a total of Rs 33 lakh to capture wild tuskers, Arikomban and Dhoni, according to a recent RTI reply to the activist group Proper Channel.
For Arikomban, Rs 15.85 lakh was allocated for his translocation from Chinnakanal to the Periyar tiger reserve, along with an additional Rs 4 lakh spent on constructing a cage.
The forest department raised Rs 87,000 to maintain the radio collar strapped on Arikomban.
As for PT7, also known as Dhoni, the government disbursed Rs 17.32 lakh for capturing and relocating him to an elephant camp. Out of this amount, Rs 2.74 lakh was utilized for cage construction, and Rs 2.44 lakh for tranquilizing and translocating the tusker. The expenses related to rearing the elephant were not included in the data.
Dhoni, a source of fear for residential areas, was captured by a 75-member task force of the forest department on January 22 from Palakkad.
On the other hand, Arikomban was captured and moved to the Periyar wildlife sanctuary on April 29. However, he later ventured into forests in Tamil Nadu, leading the Tamil Nadu forest department to shift him to the Mundanthurai tiger reserve. The situation highlights the complexities and challenges of managing human-wildlife interactions in the region.
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