MANANTHAVADY: Belur Makhna, the elephant that killed a farmer in Wayanad, could not be caught for the fifth day. Today, the tranquillizer firing team came within 50 meters of the elephant. Despite using a drone, the elephant could not be seen. The elephant was standing in a dense forest. Another Mozha elephant is also with Belur Makhna. The effort since Sunday morning has failed on the fifth day. Many tranquilizer shots were fired in the meantime but they did not reach the target.

Meanwhile, the RRT team from Karnataka has also reached to capture the elephant. A 25-member team headed by Range Officer Naresh has reached Kattikulam. The same tranquillizer firing team that caught Belur Makhna in Belur is the one that reached Kattikulam in the afternoon. They will make a move in three groups to catch the elephant. Each team will have members from Kerala and Karnataka. A team of around 150 Kerala forest guards divided into different groups and engaged in the mission till Thursday afternoon.

Belur Magna was stationed at the Manivayal Ammakavu area in Thirunelly itself. Prohibitory orders were imposed in Begur, Cheloor, Kuthirakkodu, Panavally, Alathur and Bavali wards of Thirunelly panchayat as the area is adjacent to the residential area. The elephant crossed the Tholpetty Begur road and reached the Manivayal area around 9:30 pm on Wednesday.

Tomorrow, the Kerala and Karnataka teams will divide into three teams and conduct the search. Dr. Arun Zachariah will also be in the mission. Tribal people with local knowledge will also be included in the search. The elephant not being captured even six days after Ajeesh's killing has led to widespread protests.