Tusker strangled to death by brutal operation

CHENNAI, Jan 10: In an bizzare incident, an attempt to capture a wild tusker in Manchenebele forests in Magadi taluk, Karnataka ended in a tragedy. The operation which began on saturday morning ended in fiasco when the elephant was strangulated to death while being pulled in opposite directions-from and behind- by two pairs of tamed elephants.

According to members of the Institute for Natural Resources Conservation, Education, Research and Training (INSERT), the two elephants had strayed from Bannerghatta into the area and the villagers had complained to the forest department that the elephants were damaging their crops and coconut trees abutting the forests.

Without using any professional help the forest department used mahouts to capture the tusker, they first tranquilsed the tusker and after that they tied the tusker in the legs and the neck, in the commotion the pairs of tamed elephants pulled the tusker in opposite directions and the tusker was strangulated to death.