The face-off between Ari Komban, a wild tusker, and the residents of a suburb in Idukki district’s reserve forest area has come to a temporary truce as the Kerala High Court ordered on Wednesday that the elephant be translocated to Parambikulam Reserve Forest.
Judges Jayasankaran Nambiar and P Gopinath chose to accept the report submitted by the Court-appointed expert panel that the pachyderm be shifted to Parambikulam Reserve Forest in Palakkad district but urged restraint and caution during the operation.
The Court-appointed team of experts felt that the only option as of now was to send the elephant to the safety of Parambikulam which is far away from human settlement and is a well stocked with food and water. The shortage of fodder and water in its current dwelling place forced Ari Komban to trespass into human settlements, as The Pioneer had reported the other day.
The judges asked the Forest department officials to observe maximum restraint while tranquilizing the elephant and transporting it to its new "home". The Court directed the officials not to make the mission a media event and asked no selfies should be allowed during the opetration.
The process of relocating Ari Komban (named because of his weakness for fresh rice stored in the houses and fair price shops in the region) will begin only after Easter holidays as the Radio Collar meant to be tied around the tusker’s neck has to be brought from Assam.