Abhimanyu wields the stick on wild tuskers

TUMKUR: Named after the brave character of the Mahabharata, 30-year-old Abhimanyu is popular in the state for catching wild tuskers. Abhimanyu is no human, but an elephant himself.
Trained by the Jenu Kuruba family, Abhimanyu has learnt the art of sending back wild elephants that have strayed from their path or separated from their herd, entering cities and villages.It has often been found that stray elephants attack crops, human lives and property, said Magadaiah, assistant conservator of forests. Hence, Abhimanyu has been helping the forest department to not only protect human life, but also send rebelling tuskers into the wild again.
"Catching stray elephants is a tough job. We help train tame elephants in this task," said Sangaiah, a member of the Jenu Kuruba family. These trained elephants grow among humans and hence, never mingle with any other elephant herd.
Unfortunately, Abhimanyu is the only elephant trained in this task in the entire state. Besides, a shortage of staff and vehicles is adding to the forest department's woes. "Using trained elepahnts to catch stray tuskers is a better option than using anaesthesia shots," Magadaiah said.
Shortage of shooters
There is also an acute shortage of anaesthesia shooters to keep wild elephants away from cities and villages. The state's forest department has only one shooter in service.
Officials explained that even shooting anaesthesia injections to control wild tuskers is a tough task as the effect begins to show only after the tusker runs around for about two kilometers. Once the elephant has fallen to the ground, water is poured on it to keep the temperature under control. Oftentimes, this process requires an open space of land, which may not be available at all places. Hence, officials feel that a trained elephant is any day a better option.