A team of around 100 forest department staff with the assistance of two expert kumkis- Kaleem and Suyambu ended the 14-day free run of 25-year-old Chinnathambi on Friday after the Madras High Court gave permission for its capture.

Chinnathambi, which has earned the love of many, was captured again after an over six-hour operation from Udumalpet near Tirupur and sent to Varakaliyar elephant camp in Top Slip.  

‘Operation Chinnathambi’ commenced early on Friday morning at a sugarcane field in Kannadipudur village. Ajay Desai, a consultant for the World Wildlife Fund and member of Asian elephant’s specialist group of International Union for Conservation of Nature, in his report to the court suggested capturing of Chinnathambi as it has become habituated to crop raiding.  

As the jumbo was camping inside the sugarcane field, Kumki Kaleem was pressed to drive it away into the open field. After a few shots to dart the animal missed its target, the fifth shot hit Chinnathambi on its abdomen.  

Curiously the jumbo, which remained evasive for a long while camping inside the dense sugarcane field, was finally lured with its favourite snack of jackfruit offered by the forest department staff.   

“As he ventured out to taste the jackfruit, the jumbo was tranquillised with a sharp shot on its abdomen,” said a forest department official. It was then tied with ropes and loaded on to the truck using Kumki Suyambu. Unlike the previous time, the forest department did not use machinery in capturing the jumbo fearing that it may cause harm. 

It was on January 25 that the radio-collared jumbo was translocated from Thadagam Valley in Coimbatore to Varagaliar near Top Slip. He, however, trekked through the forests to reach Aliyar near Pollachi on January 31. It then moved to Krishnapuram near Udumalpet and stayed there in the sugarcane farm for about 11 days, before shifting its base to Kannadipudur area. 

V Ganesan, Field Director of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), who was overseeing the operation, said that the jumbo has been caught with utmost care without causing any injuries to the animal.  

Capturing of Chinnathambi, which has earned the love of all for its gentle nature, was opposed by wildlife activists and a segment of people across Tamil Nadu. 

Earlier, even a fan club emerged for Chinnathambi demanding the state government to drop its plan to capture the animal. However, the farmers heaved a sigh of relief, as the jumbo has been causing widespread damage to their crops.   

Even as the operation was underway, the police and forest department had a tough time in controlling the crowd, which turned up in large numbers to take a glimpse of Chinnathambi to be taken to Top Slip to be turned into a kumki.