After days of search operation, elephant Ashoka traced deep inside forest

MYSURU: The elephant Ashoka, which went missing on November 30,
has been traced by the foresters on Wednesday night.

The jumbo was found deep inside the jungle in Kaimara forest beat range
of Nagarahole Tiger Reserve. Ashoka has now been housed in Balle elephant camp.

According to forest officers, the Mathigodu camp elephant was let out in
the forest for grazing on November 30, but did not return to the camp.

After waiting for a day, a team of officers along with mahouts and kavadis
launched a search operation to trace the missing tusker deep in the jungle
based on the marks created by chains which were tied to the elephant’s legs.

As they could not trace the elephant and suspected that it might have travelled quite a distance into the forest in search of fodder, the foresters summoned Dasara elephants Abhimanyu and Krishna to trace the missing jumbo.

After searching for nearly six days, the foresters finally claimed that they managed to trace the elephant on Wednesday evening.

“The elephant was traced deep inside the Kaimara forest beat under the jurisdiction of DB Kuppe Forest Range. We have brought the elephant back to the camp,” an officer said.

Doubts raised

While foresters claim that the elephant went missing from the camp, sources in the forest department said the elephant went missing since November 26 when Ashoka and Drona ran helter-skelter after fire crackers were burst during a tiger combing operation at Penjahalli village in HD Kote, on the fringes of Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.

While foresters had claimed that they managed to trace the panicked Ashoka at Kothanahalli village near Taraka Dam and

Drona near Hirehalli A Colony, sources said the foresters could trace only Drona, while Ashoka was missing since that day.

However, foresters have heaved a sigh of relief after tracing the elephant. DB Kuppe RFO Subramanya said Ashoka has been brought to Balle camp. Senior officers will decide whether the elephant will be used for the tiger combing operation at Penjahalli village or it will be sent back to Mathigodu camp.

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