Baripada: A marauding tusker that wreaked havoc in villages under Baripada Forest Division in Mayurbhanj district was tranquilised and sent to the Elephant Rescue Centre at Kapilash in Dhenkanal district, Friday. Health condition of the elephant will be examined and a 24-hour medical monitoring will be done, said Similipal Field Director and Regional Chief Conservator of Forest (RCCF), Wildlife, Prakash Chand Gogineni.
As per the order of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Susanta Nanda, a plan was prepared to capture the tusker. The decision was taken after the tusker trampled four persons to death in last four days. A 15-member team under the guidance of Baripada DFO A Uma Mahesh conducted a mock drill a day before capturing the pachyderm Friday. Residents of the nearby villages had been warned by the Forest department not to venture out of their houses during the operation for their own safety