Elephant Capture Operation Halted in Bengaluru Due to Missing Onti Koli

Bengaluru: The elephant capture operation was halted on Wednesday due to a lack of clues about the whereabouts of the rogue elephant named Onti Koli.

Officials from Bannerghatta National Park bid farewell to eight kumki elephants (trained and tamed elephants), mahouts, kavadis, and skilled staff who had been called in from the Dubare and Mattigodu elephant camps.

“The operation to capture Onti Koli in the forest continued, but we had to stop as we could not pinpoint the specific location of the elephant. Therefore, the kumki elephant team and staff have been sent back,” said Prabhakar Priyadarshi, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bannerghatta National Park.

The operation, which began on July 29 to capture both the Makna elephant and Onti Koli, resulted in the capture of the Makna elephant on the same day. The eight kumki elephants from Dubare and Mattigodu camps, along with skilled staff, worked from July 27 to 31 to capture the Makna elephant roaming near Bannerghatta National Park and release it in a kraal.