A 38-year-old elephant, released into the forest nearly two years after being captured, died within hours of being hit by a private bus at Mattigod in Kodagu district in the wee hours of Monday. This incident again brings the issue of night traffic ban in the forest area.
The police said they had seized the private bus involved in the accident that occurred near Madikeri area.
According to Punati Sridhar, Karnataka Principal Chief Conservator of Forest "The elephant, 'Rowdy' Ranga, met with an accident in the morning and passed away subsequently and have asked the jurisdictional police to book a case against the driver."
Ironically Rowdy Ranga, caught in 2016 and sheltered at the Mattigod elephant camp, was released into the forest only on Sunday and met with the fatal accident within hours.
The elephant had earned the nickname of "rowdy" as it had trampled to death a few people and was caught near the same forest area in December, 2016 by Karnataka forest department.
The accident again brought to the focus the demand by wildlife enthusiasts for a ban on vehicular traffic in forest areas at night. Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) C Jayaram said the accident took place in spite of the presence of speed breakers in the area.