Shoot-at-sight order issued for rogue Bihar tusker who killed 15

The state forest department on Thursday issued shoot at sight order for the rogue Bihar tusker that has killed 15 persons, including 11 in Jharkhand and four in Bihar, after finding little option to protect the wild animal.

“We initially had issued orders to tranqulise and capture the elephant but the action taken in this regard had failed to tame the animal due to thick forest and hilly terrains. Finding no alternative, we have decided to issue shoot order,” said LR Singh, principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife).

The department is also not equipped to tame the elephant due to lack of effective drug for tranquillisation, rescue centre for wild animals and trained mahouts (trainer) who can handle wild elephants.

The forest officials and experts who have been engaged to capture the jumbo have already termed it as a dangerous task due to thick forest .

The celebrated hunter and secretary of Wildlife Tranqui Force, Nawab Shafftah Ali Khan, who has specially been invited for the operation, said, “The drug we are carrying to tranquil the elephant is a combination of Ketamine and Xylazine but its result is very unpredictable. It takes at least 40 minutes to one hour to sedate an elephant.”

“The drug enhances elephant’s body temperature abnormally, which makes it aggressive. Under influence of the drug, it tends to run towards water bodies. If it goes into water bodies, it may die. If it does not find water, it can enter any village and cause huge loss to life and property,” Khan said, adding, “We have to shoot the drug from at least 30 meter away, which is a risk in a hilly terrain .”

The most effective drug to tranquil an elephant was Atorphine (Immobilon, M99) which could sedate the animal in three minutes but the drug was not available in India, Khan said.