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�Maharaj� radio-collared

By RITURAJ BORTHAKUR

GUWAHATI, May 22: The wild elephant which had been frequenting the city for the past several months was radio-collared this evening by a team of forest personnel. This is the first wild elephant to be radio-collared in Assam.

The jumbo had revisited the city yesterday, a fortnight after it had spent more than 24 hours on GS Road and its bylanes. Last night, it was in a hill at Botahguli and had ventured into the city again this morning, before it was driven away to Amchang.

�We decided to radio-collar it. It was tranquilized first near the Narengi army cantonment and then the radio-collar was fitted. The entire process took about an hour�s time,� Guwahati�s honorary wildlife warden Kaushik Baruah told The Assam Tribune.

Radio-collaring is about fitting a collar with an attached radio transmitter around the neck of an animal to track its movement.

�The GPS device in the collar will help us get real-time information about its location, movement, etc.,� said State Zoo DFO Tejas Mariswamy.

The battery fitted in the tracking collar is expected to last for five years.

The elephant is nicknamed �Maharaj� by the residents of Panjabari, an area it frequents.

It was spotted in the Panjabari-Botahguli area yesterday morning as it moved on the main road. By afternoon, it was in a hill at Botahguli.

On May 1 last, the jumbo, around 15-16 years of age, had to be tranquilized after it detoured lanes and bylanes, besides GS Road. Later, it was taken on a truck and released inside the Amchang forest.

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