Angul: The Forest department has brought in a ‘kumki’ elephant to assist in tranquilising Sundari, the Royal Bengal tigress, after several failed attempts.
Yashoda, the elephant, was brought to the Satkosia Forest Range in Angul district Saturday from Chandaka forest on a truck.
The trained elephant will be engaged in the operation to sedate the tigress by this afternoon, sources said.
The repeated efforts of two tranquilising teams from Pench and Kanha tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh, camping at Satkosia, haven’t succeeded in catching the big cat.
Now, the department is planning to fire the tranquilising dart at Sundari from atop the ‘kumki’ elephant.
Sundari, which has reportedly killed a couple of people, was brought from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh to the Satkosia wildlife sanctuary June 28 in a bid to increase the tiger population in the state.
Residents of villages located near Satkosia have demanded relocation of the tigress after it allegedly mauled two locals to death including a woman from Tainsi village.
The tigress also attacked a journalist recently.
PNN