Mangaluru: Forest officials are keeping a close watch on a lone tusker sighted near the SDM Engineering College campus at Ujire on Sunday morning.Belthangady Range Forest Officer Mahesh Devadiga said the elephant had moved from the Uppinangady side towards Kalmanja and Dharmasthala before heading to the forested area near the campus.Elephant Task Force personnel and forest department staff are monitoring the tusker’s movements to prevent it from entering human habitations. As part of the standard procedure to deter the animal, warning shots were fired into the air, officials said. The elephant is now moving towards Charmady, and teams continue to monitor the area closely.“Based on the elephant’s movements, a decision on whether schools need to be closed will be taken on Monday morning,” RFO said, who is leading the operation.
