Wild elephant loses tusk to speeding truck in Bandipur Bangalore Mirror Bureau March 31, 2024 An elephant lost one of its tusks in a road accident adjacent to Bandipur Tiger Reserve on Thursday night. Following the accident, the elephant continued moving and has not been traced so far. According to the officials from Karnataka Forest Department (KFD), the mishap happened on a village road outside Bandipur Tiger Reserve due to a speeding vehicle. “We are using the dog squad and foot patrolling team to locate the animal as soon as possible. This is to ensure that necessary treatment can be provided in case the animal has received a fatal blow. It is a village limit and not inside Bandipur Reserve and thus we have not been able to zero in on the vehicle so far. But it is a case of a speeding vehicle hitting the animal. The elephant had strayed out of the forest and while crossing village limits adjacent to Bandipur, it received the blow,” said S Prabhakaran, director of Bandipur Tiger Reserve. The elephant is reported to be hit a by truck carrying construction material from a nearby quarry. Due to the impact, the tusk was uprooted and was found on the road by a passerby near the Hediyala range on Friday morning. The police department has filed an FIR and CCTV footage of all vehicles moving towards Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary is being checked by the department. “Tracking the injured elephant is our top priority. According to our veterinarian, the tusk was slightly loose. If it was a completely intact tusk and had fallen during the accident, it would have been easier to track the animal as blood loss would have been more. However, since the tusk was not completely intact, blood loss is less and thus it is getting difficult to locate the elephant. We are hoping the animal has not received a fatal blow, but there surely will be some impact. We know the route the tusker has taken and search is on along that route,” informed Prabhakaran. Officials also informed BM that the department will push for speed limits to be imposed on private roads adjacent to the reserve due to elephant movement in the area. “There is elephant movement in the area and managing vehicular speed, especially during night hours will ensure better safety of wildlife. We are currently conducting general awareness programs among villagers. However, we plan to put up signboards with speed limits on roads adjacent to the reserve,” said Prabhakaran. https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/wild-elephant-loses-tusk-to-speeding-truck-in-bandipur/articleshow/108905606.cms