Kerala’s Renowned Elephant, Arikomban, Embarks on a Remarkable Journey Across Borders
A remarkable journey unfolds as an elephant named Arikomban embarks on a quest to find its way home. This colossal creature has been capturing headlines in various parts of Kerala for several months.
Watch the video at the end.
In a recent development, Arikomban was sighted in the town of Cumbuum in Tamil Nadu, situated along the border with Kerala. Despite previous efforts to relocate the elephant, none have yielded results.
Susanta Nanda, an official from the Indian Forest Service (IFS), shared a video capturing the majestic animal’s passage through the town and recounted its story.
According to Nanda, Arikomban has covered a distance of over 40 kilometers in the past few days as it strives to return to its natural habitat.
The video depicts Arikomban traversing through narrow residential streets adorned with a belt around its neck.
Nanda expressed, “Arikomban in the streets. We have failed this magnificent creature. It was translocated.
But intelligent as they are, elephants have the tendency to return to their home. It’s simply following its inner urge. Already traveled 40-plus km in the last four days towards its home.”
In a subsequent tweet, Susanta Nanda criticized the media’s labeling of Arikomban as a ‘rogue’ animal. He urged people to observe its struggle for survival, emphasizing the contradiction between development and conservation.
He remarked, “What pains is the hype in media terming it ‘Rogue’? It’s neither savage nor destructive. It’s fighting its battle for survival.
And sadly termed rogue now by many. Follow his story to know why development & conservation can’t happen at the same time in the same place.”
In response to the post, a user attributed the situation to continuous encroachment on forest land. Another user shared a story about a similar fate met by another elephant.
A call for action from the forest department to safeguard the animals’ natural habitat was made by yet another user.
Arikomban’s Journey So Far
Arikomban was relocated to the Periyar tiger reserve from Chinnakanal in Idukki following an order from the Kerala High Court last month.
However, the elephant defied expectations by traveling from its release point, covering a significant distance to Cumbuum in Tamil Nadu, where it was last seen.
