After an operation that lasted for more than a week, forest officials in Andhra's Chittoor district on Saturday captured the wild elephant that had strayed into the Ramasundram mandal.
The elephant was tranquilized and captured at the foothills of the Addagutta Hill.
The male tusker had got separated from its herd in the Kolar forest in Karnataka and trampled a 70-year-old farmer in Andhra on September 25, before climbing up the hill.
As part of rescue operations to trap the elephant, The Hindu reported that officials stayed at the foothills for five days and also hired two trained elephants or 'Kumkis' as part of ‘Operation Gaja’.
The report stated that lumps of jaggery, sugarcane and other treats were placed at vulnerable areas in the foothills, to lure the elephant and tranquilize it.
Another report in the newspaper adds:
In view of the elephant lingering most time on the hilltop or on the slopes, the darting team stayed away from its operation to avoid the animal suffering a fall downhill. In the early hours of Friday, the elephant charged at the two trained elephants and their mahout, before retreating to the hilltop. The same day close to midnight, it was hit thrice with tranquillisers, when it was grazing on the foothills. By noon on Saturday, the two trained elephants could bring the ferocious tusker into their control.
The animal would be shifted to S.V. Zoo Park in Tirupati, and would remain there for the rest of its life as it was separated from its herd and sending it back to the forest was not advisable.
Watch a video of how the entire operation unfolded here.