She-elephant all set to woo tusker on the run

The search for the elusive elephant has been toned down. The forest officials now plan to use Suvarna to lure the tusker back to Bannerghatta.

The Savandurga forest officials told The Indian Express that the tusker had been spotted about two kilometres from the forest office at Savandurga on Thursdays morning.

However, when this reporter went along with the search party to the spot, it could not be located. The dense forests of Savandurga made it practically impossible to know its whereabouts.

Meanwhile, the tusks of the dead elephant, each weighing over four kgs, has been deposited at the office of the Chief Conservator of Forestsin Bangalore, putting an end to the rumour that it was given away to a film producer.

The tusker trail brought to light a few glaring facts that Savandurga, a forest that covers an area of about 8,000 acres, has only a skeletal staff to protect it — two forest guards, two watchmen, a Range Forest Officer and an assistant.

Savandurga with innumerable sandalwood trees and wide range of flora and fauna is under constant threat from poachers and smugglers, apart from senseless tourists who dump garbage.

Incidentally, there were no elephants at the Savandurga forests and this lone tusker on the run, seems to have finally found its paradise.