Jumbo Rivaldo gives the slip to forest officials on its way to Theppakadu camp

The animal, which was trekking in a ‘slow and steady pace’ towards its likely new home, the Theppakadu elephant camp, had suddenly moved into the forests.

“The elephant, which was taking a dip in a river during its journey had unexpectedly moved in the opposite direction and fled into the forest cover. Multiple teams have gone in search to track and guide the elephant back to the camp site. As it was dark, the elephant could not be spotted immediately,” said a senior official.

Over the last three days, the Forest Department has been luring the elephant to the campsite by feeding it with a sumptuous treat that includes sugarcane, pineapple, water melon and banana ever since it started its happy journey from Vazhaithottam locality.

The elephant had trekked barely a few kilometres and was expected to reach the camp in a day or two.

But, the disappearance of the animal has come as a set back to the Forest Department, who were attempting this novel strategy for the first time ever.

Officials said that Rivaldo couldn’t walk long and requires frequent halts as it suffers from slight breathlessness due to a broken trunk suffered in a fight with another wild elephant in 2015.

After recovery following the treatment, the elephant continued to roam around in residential areas and felt undisturbed even when tourists began to take selfies with it in close quarters over the last seven years.

The elephant has habituated to co-exist with human beings and usually inhabits several residential areas surrounding Vazhaithottam neighbourhood and accepts food offered by the tourists and public.

Though the animal remained harmless, a decision to move the elephant to the camp was taken in the wake of the death of a wild jumbo due to burn injuries caused by miscreants, who hurled burning cloth at its ear in Masinagudi.

Meanwhile, the Forest Department has begun monitoring another tusker named Shankar, which was believed to have trampled three persons to death and evaded capture by moving into the Kerala forest last year has entered back into Tamil Nadu. Officials said that two kumkis were being used to capture the elephant.