Notorious Elephant ‘Radhakrishnan’ captured in Nilgiris after decade of conflict

Radhakrishnan, a wild elephant blamed for multiple deaths, was tranquilized and captured in the Nilgiris. The operation highlights ongoing human-elephant conflict and conservation challenges in sensitive wildlife corridors.

Chennai: The forest department and villagers breathed a sigh of relief. Radhakrishnan, the elephant responsible for killing 12 people in the last ten years, was finally tranquilized and captured with the help of four tame elephants.

The efforts of the forest department, four tame elephants, seven mahouts, and over 100 forest staff finally paid off. According to forest officials, tusker Radhakrishnan the elephant was tranquilized and transported to a truck with the help of the tame elephants in Elamallai village of O Valley in the Nilgiris on Tuesday evening.

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Officials stated that the elephant would be taken to a specially built elephant sanctuary in the core area of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), where it would be kept for some time before being released.

The wild elephant, known locally as 'Radhakrishnan', had been under the surveillance of forest department personnel since last night.

This elephant, known locally as 'Radhakrishnan', has been blamed for the deaths of 12 people in the last ten years. However, forest department officials and conservationists do not agree with this figure.

In the Ooty area of the Gudalur forest division, where human settlements and elephant corridors form a complex network, the number of people killed by the elephant is estimated to be between three and six.

This area is primarily inhabited by people who were repatriated from Sri Lanka and settled by the government to work in tea plantations in the Nilgiris. There has been a long-standing dispute between the government and the local residents regarding the legal status of the land.

Officials stated that keeping the elephant in the sanctuary for some time would hopefully prevent it from coming near human settlements and attacking people. More than 100 forest staff, four tame elephants, and a forest veterinarian were involved in this operation.

In-depth analysis of the issue

Locals call him ‘Radhakrishnan’ and the forest department refers to him as OVT1 (O-Valley Tusked Elephant 1), and people speak of him with fear and trepidation. He has been blamed for several deaths in the past decade and has become a notorious “vicious elephant” in an area plagued by human-elephant conflict.

The reasons behind this elephant’s aggressive behavior are still debated. Forest department staff say that in the past, locals attacked him when he entered human settlements. This made him aggressive.

While department officials, staff, and experts working in the area believe that this elephant may have been responsible for some attacks on people in the past, they say it is unlikely that he was responsible for all the conflicts in the area last year. This elephant did not kill anyone last year.

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Officials said that a total of six people died in elephant-related incidents in the area, as there are many reasons for human-wildlife conflict in the Gudalur forest division.

A conservation expert from the Nilgiris said, “The O-Valley area is an important elephant corridor connecting Mudumalai, Bandipur, and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserves to elephant habitats in Kerala.

Human settlements and encroachment along these corridors, and farming that encourages elephants to raid crops, have made this area a hotspot for conflict between people and elephants.”