Daijiworld Media Network – Beltangady

Beltangady, Sep 7: A wild elephant that entered the compound of ac private engineering college in Ujire on Sunday morning was driven towards the forest area on the Charmadi side following a continuous operation by the Forest Department and the Mangaluru Elephant Task Force.

The elephant was spotted around 6 am after it entered the area from a plantation near the college campus. Forest officials began monitoring its movement and taking steps to prevent it from entering the college premises and moving towards Ujire town.

The elephant had entered the rear side of the engineering college and taken shelter in a forested portion within the college compound. It was located around 100 metres from the college hostel building. Several houses are situated in the surrounding area, while the national highway passes alongside the locality and Ujire town is nearby, raising concerns that the elephant could move towards populated areas.

During the operation, forest officials fired three rounds into the air and burst firecrackers to scare the elephant away. More than 20 Forest Department personnel, assisted by the Mangaluru Elephant Task Force, monitored its movements and worked to drive it back towards the forest.

Beltangady range forest officer Mahesh Devadiga said that the movement of the wild elephant in the area was not unusual, as the animal had reportedly arrived from the Uppinangady division.

The staff closely monitored the elephant's movement and have almost driven it towards the forest area on the Charmadi side, he said.

Forest Department personnel are continuing to monitor the elephant to ensure that it does not return towards the college campus or populated areas.