Wild elephant captured in Kerela after one of the longest search

Experts of the Kerala forest department recently tranquilised and captured a wild elephant code-named PT (Palakkad Tusker)-7 that gave sleepless nights to many people and killed a morning stroller seven months ago in Dhoni in Palakkad district.
In Dhoni and Mundur, two most affected villages in Palakkad, people celebrated its capture by distributing sweets and came out in large numbers to see the perpetual trouble-maker.
Forest officials said it was one of the longest search operations in the state and literally it was a hide and seek for many months. Forest official said out of the 360 days it was tracked, it was spotted 188 days in human habitats and it was also involved in 180 incidents of crop damage, 13 incidents of house destruction and the death of a morning walker Sivraraman (60) in last July. But local people said it was also responsible for two more deaths and at least a dozen cases of wild chasing and attacks on motor vehicles.
The state has been witnessing many incidents of animal incursions these days. Last week, a male tiger that killed a man was captured and shifted to an animal rescue centre in Wayanad in north Kerala and another wild elephant that strayed into Sultan Bathery town in the same district was tranquillised and shifted to an elephant yard. Wildlife experts said change in crop pattern, non-availability of enough food and water in forests and increase in numbers are the reasons behind the growing animal attacks.