Veterinarians and forest department officials who examined the elephant, suggested that it be sent back to the forests. They said the elephant belongs to the 'Makna' variety (in which the male elephant will not have tusks).These elephants, by nature, were not suited to reside in human habitations and belong to the wild variety and suited to live in forests, they said.
When Karnataka Forest Minister C H Vijayashankar visited the temple recently, the temple administration broached the idea of getting a female elephant from Karnataka in exchange for the male elephant.
The Minister asked the officials to send a request to the forest department following which SK Panneerselvam, Executive Officer (temples), Karaikal wrote a letter.
The forest department and the Karnataka Government then passed orders to send the female elephant calf 'Prakruti' to Tirunallar from the Sakrebayalu elephant camp in Shimoga district of Karnataka. The male elephant will be sent to Karnataka, officials said.
'Prakruti' was brought to Tirunallar last night.