It has been several days since an elephant entered Goa from Maharashtra, creating panic among farmers in Mopa and nearby villages along the Goa“Sindhudurg border. Forest department officials from both states are currently tracking the animal to ensure the safety of residents and livestock. Omkar, a 10-year-old wild elephant separated from its herd, has reportedly been raiding coconut and banana plantations, as well as paddy fields around Tambose village.
It is learnt that Goa has formally sought Karnataka’s support to rein in Omkar. Services of trained and captive jumbos, known as Kumkis, as well as experts, will be utilised. Provocation of the elephant may cause loss of human life. A tranquilliser can be used to sedate the animal. The main idea is to keep the stress down and help the elephant relax. Once the elephant wakes up, other trained elephants can lead it back to its herd. Due to the large size of elephants, and to minimise general anaesthesia-related complications, tranquillisers are used in rare cases.
In earlier days, trenches were used to capture elephants. This is inhumane as it can cause injuries to them. Since the plan to capture and rehabilitate the lost elephant Omkar is to start only after October 2, drones need to be used to track its movement so that the villagers are forewarned. Goa needs to have its own infrastructure and experienced staff for elephant management.
