Dramatic two-day chase ends as wild elephant Vikranth finally rescued in Hassan

HASSAN: After two days of intense efforts and over six hours of continuous struggle, forest officials successfully captured wild elephant Vikranth near Hullimakki, Byadane village, Sakaleshpura taluk, on Thursday afternoon. Vikranth had been a source of concern for over two and a half years, posing threats to both human lives and property.

The rescue mission, involving nearly 200 personnel from the forest department, Elephant Task Force (ETF), veterinary teams, and police, was spearheaded by DCF Sourabh Kumar. Notably, elephants like Prashanth, Karnataka Bheema, Dhananjaya, Kanjan, Harsha, Ekalavya, and Mahendra played pivotal roles in the operation.

Vikranth, a crafty 30-35-year-old elephant, managed to evade capture for two consecutive days. It cleverly blended with its herd, often vanishing into the forest undetected, even avoiding thermal drones. Adding a twist, another well-known elephant, Bheema, appeared mid-operation on Wednesday, disrupting efforts. Bheema was eventually sedated first, allowing the team to isolate Vikranth.

Finally, on Thursday noon, the forest staff succeeded in darting Vikranth with a tranquilizer and safely capturing him. DCF Sourabh Kumar confirmed that the elephant’s unpredictable behaviour prevents it from being released back into the wild. Vikranth will be relocated to the Sakrebailu elephant camp in Shivamogga.

The department has already rescued one elephant earlier, and efforts to capture the third one will resume after a brief pause.

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