Arikomban, a rogue tusker that was translocated to Periyar Tiger Reserve, was spotted around the inlands of Kumily in Kerala on Friday. The Forest officials said that the movement of the elephant has caused worry among the locals.
According to PTI, forest officials said, "Arikomban was found just six kilometers away from the Kumily town. When it reached some 100 metres away from the inhabited area, we fired in the air to scare the animal and drive it back to the forest."
On Thursday night, the jumbo was just a few metres away from the inhabited areas of Kumily. The Forest officials are closely monitoring the movement of the tusker through GPS signals from the radio collar attached to the elephant. As the tusker has been radio-collared, signals from it are being received, officials added.
The officials said, the notorious jumbo that is famous for raiding ration shops was spotted in Rosapookkandam Thursday night. As a result, the officials fired in the air to drive the elephant back to the forest.
The official said as per their assumption, the jumbo went back to Medakanam in the Thekkady area by Thursday night itself. "It seems that the animal is moving within a particular circle in the Kerala-Tamil Nadu forest area. As there is plenty of water, it frequently comes back to Periyar Tiger Reserve region," he added.
Arikomban means rice-loving tusker in Malayalam. The jumbo was tranquilised after a mission for long hours and was released into the deep interiors of Periyar Tiger Reserve on April 30.
Meanwhile, Arikomban which has trampled over ten people and ransacked several rationshops to steal rice. However, the jumbo has a huge fanbase in the state's Idukki district. A group of auto drivers at Annakara in the hill station has formed the Arikomban Fans Association.