Wild elephant from Karnataka's Hassan strays into Kerala town, causes panic

Thiruvananthapuram: A wild elephant entered the Mananthavady town in Kerala's Wayanad on Friday morning, triggering widespread panic. Prohibitory orders were issued in the Mananthavady region and steps to either chase back or capture the tusker with the help of trained 'kumki' elephants was progressing.

The elephant was identified to be the one that was captured by the Karnataka forest authorities from Hassan in Karnataka last month after it caused destruction to crops. A radio collar was also fixed on the elephant before translocating it to the forest.

The elephant was spotted early morning near Mananthavady and has been roaming around through residential areas and government office premises in the town. A holiday was declared for local schools in wake of the incident.

Sources said that the forest department officials would be capturing the elephant only after much discussion as recent instances of capturing wild elephants had led to legal issues.