MUNNAR: If the gun tranquilizer gun is prepped and fired, any wild animal will accept defeat. That is the brilliance of Dr. Arun Zachariah and it was that precision that brought Arikompan to his knees. Everyone was hopeful when Dr. Arun Zakaria's team arrived at Chinnakanal to catch Arikompan who had crossed the forest and reached the inhabited area. Arun Zachariah is the Chief Veterinary Surgeon of the Forest Department. A forest department vehicle will reach Arun Zachariah whenever a wild animal ventures into the inhabited land. More than 100 elephants, sixty leopards, twenty tigers, and black panther were saved by him.

Arun started his professional career as an Assistant Veterinary Officer at Muthanga in Wayanad, after completing his studies in Kerala Agriculture University's College of Forestry and London Veterinary College. Lack of precedents and lack of experience in the practical use of drugs were the main challenges in his early days, and today Arun Zachariah is the encyclopedia of drugs for the treatment of wild animals. Arun says that the important thing is not to shoot the elephant or the tiger, but to treat them if they get hurt or injured. Treating animals in the wild is not the same as treating wild animals in a zoo. In a zoo, the animal's case history, including its clinical report, is available, but not in the wild. The treatment starts without any information about the animal and when this treatment is successful, I am also successful, says Arun. This 54-year-old is a native of Mukkam, Kozhikode. Arun Zachariah's love for the forest and wild animals led him to the field of veterinary medicine and then to the field of wildlife treatment. In the mission to catch Arikompan, Dr. Arun Zachariah was accompanied by Dr. Nisha Rachel (Idukki), Dr. Anumod (Kottayam), Dr. Anuraj (Thekkady), Dr. Siddhik (Kollam) and Dr. Shyam (Konni).

Arikompan mission

6.30 AM - 6.05 P.M

6.30 am: Search in Shankarapandyamedu, 301 Colony and Anayirangal areas where Arikompan was spotted on Friday.

7.30: Locals find Arikompan in Colony 92 between Suryanelli and Sinkukandam with Chakkakompan.

8.45 am: Mission team reaches 92 Colony.

9.55: Chakkakompan is driven away with firecrackers.

10.05 am: Attempt to get Arikompan to the mission site at Cement Palam.

11.00: Elephant moves towards Cement Palam.

11.30 am: The mission team surrounds him.

11.50: The elephant reaches the flat bottom of the hill.

11.57: Dr. Arun Zachariah administers the first dose of the tranquilizer. The shot elephant ran a short distance and stopped.

12.05: Moving into eucalyptus trees 100 meters from the road.

12.43: Dr. Arun Zachariah and his team close by. A second dose of tranquilizer is used.

1.00: Four Kumki elephants at the mission site

1.04: Arikompan to Kumkis. Standing 100 meters away

1.15: Presence of Chakkakompan in distance. The distance between Kumki and Arikompann is only 50 meters.

1.24: The elephant's ears stop moving. Mission team and Kumki Elephants are nearby.

1.50: Moving Arikompan is blocked by Kumki elephant Suryan from front and others from the sides and back. Arikompan is close to the Road.

2.00: Third booster dose

2.26: Fourth booster dose

2.29 Arikompan slowly backs into the forest but forest guards are close behind with ropes.

2.35: Attempt to entangle leg with rope. The elephant throws it away.

2.50: Hind legs knotted with rope

3.25: Water is poured on the elephant to cool it down

3.35: Bulldozers cut the road.

3.54: Heavy rain as concern for mission

4.09: Lorry near Arikompan

4.27: Kumki elephants charge to load Arikompan into the lorry. The defiant Arikompan turns and runs a little but the Kumkis resist.

4.36: Strong wind and rain

4.40: Firing 5th dose

4.52: Arikompan in the lorry, under the strong push by Kumki elephants.

4.57: Arikompan is pushed into the cage in the lorry. The rain has subsided.

5.16: Lorry to Road

5.30: GPS radio collar attached.

6.05: vehicle leaves for Periyar