Post News Network
op photo
Bhubaneswar, Jan 3: A rogue jumbo from the wilderness which strayed into the elephant safari at Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) Wednesday was tranquilized by a zoo team Saturday. It would be shifted to Chandaka forest.
The 25-year-old male jumbo triggered panic among zoo officials Saturday as it wreaked havoc and attacked a 50-year-old female jumbo called Basanti housed at the elephant safari at NZP. Two other female jumbos Prema (60) and Heera (25) are also in the safari.
Basanti which was brought from Madras zoo in the 1970s suffered minor injuries on its face and ear after the wild jumbo vigorously attacked it.
The jumbo left officials in a tizzy as it went berserk from one place to other, posing difficulties for the tranquilizing team. The team, however, managed to tranquilize the animal after some time. Around 30 officials along with six ‘kunkis’ (trained elephants) including Jashoda and Nanda, were deployed to tame the rogue jumbo.
“The team tranquilized the animal at 7am Saturday and prevented it from going wild harming resident elephants at the safari. The administration acted swiftly to capture the rogue elephant that wreaked havoc,” NZP director Sudarsan Panda said, adding it would be shifted to Chandaka
forest Sunday.
The director, however, rubbished the speculation that the wild jumbo came in search of a female pachyderm at the safari.
However, food in the safari could be another probable attraction for the wild jumbo.
Earlier, the elephant entered NZP Wednesday and was chased away by the authorities but it soon re-entered the safari to mate with a female elephant.
