Bengaluru: A journey back to the forest after a night of foraging in agricultural fields turned into a nightmare for a wild tusker Wednesday morning near Arekoppa village in Kanakapura taluk of Bengaluru South (Ramanagara) district. The jumbo became helplessly trapped inside a railway fence along the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, leaving it stranded for hours and triggering a frantic rescue operation.Sources told TOI that the tusker had ventured out of the sanctuary under the cover of darkness and entered agricultural fields in search of food. At daybreak, as the elephant attempted to retrace its path back into the sanctuary, it tried to squeeze through a narrow gap in the railway barricade—an opening commonly used by cattle grazing near the forest. However, for the tusker, the gap proved far too narrow.Jagannath NH, deputy conservator of forests, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, said, “The elephant may have ventured out from the Boni Hekkalu forest area in the Basavana Waade beat of the Mugguru range of the sanctuary. Farmers who arrived at their fields early in the morning alerted us around 6.45am, and our field staff immediately swung into action.”Nagendra Prasad S, assistant conservator of forests at the sanctuary, said, “The elephant had managed to push half of its massive body through the gap before getting completely wedged inside the iron barricade. Unable to move either forward or backwards, the distressed animal struggled for hours, trumpeting in pain and exhaustion.”Officials mobilised personnel from the Mugguru, Sangama and Halaguru ranges of the sanctuary, along with staff from the Kanakapura territorial forest division. Veterinarians from the Bannerghatta elephant task force, including Dr Kiran and Dr Girish, also rushed to the spot with their trained teams.“There was no alternative but to cut open the barricade using gas cutters. Technicians were called in to dismantle the iron fence,” another official said, adding that the rescue operation continued until noon. Before the barricade was cut, veterinarians tranquilised the tusker.“Throughout the cutting operation, the elephant remained sedated and was continuously monitored by the veterinary team. Once the barricade was removed, the elephant was revived using vitamins and hydration supplements before being guided back into the sanctuary.It did not suffer any injuries, despite struggling for several hours, the ACF said.———–BoxNot first case in stateThe Kanakapura incident was not the first in the state. Similar cases have also been reported in the recent past from Virajpet and the Nagarahole National Park landscape. The recurring incidents have rekindled the debate over the use of railway barricades, with wildlife experts arguing that they can endanger elephants attempting to move between forests and farmlands.Forest officials, however, defend the barriers, saying they have significantly curtailed crop raids and human-elephant conflict and remain a relatively inexpensive solution compared to other mitigation measures.
