Elephant goes on rampage in Puttur

January 2, 2013

Puttur, Jan 2: An incident of an elephant going on a rampage while being transported in a truck causing panic among people and nearly costing the driver of the truck and its mahout their life, has been reported from Puttur.

The incident happened when 'Lakshmeesha', the elephant belonging to a certain Karunakar Suvarna of Uppinangady was being transported from Puttur to Sullia where it was supposed to carry wooden logs. But just as the truck approached the Puttur bus stand, the elephant started behaving strangely and tried to throw out the driver from his cabin with its trunk.

Sensing danger, the driver moved the vehicle forward and stopped it near Yelmudi. The elephant tried to grab him but he managed to escape from its hold jumping off the cabin.

The elephant then threw the mahout Chandran of Kerala's Kalpetta from the cabin with its trunk. Although he had a fall, he sustained minor injuries.

Eyewitnesses said that the elephant got wild after the driver applied sudden brakes when an auto rickshaw came in its way, resulting in the elephant being hit on its head as it hit the rear portion of the driver's cabin.

Puttur police, Puttur Forest Department officials, and fire service personnel arrived at the spot to see that there is no further damage. The fire service personnel splashed water on the elephant to cool it down. Karunakar Suvarna, the owner of the elephant, also arrived at the spot and tried to pacify the elephant himself.

Since the elephant had unleashed its fury on the mahout, its earlier mahout from Madikeri was called for. When he tried to calm the elephant down, it tried to throw him away as well. With greater rage, it started damaging the truck and attempted to jump off.

Personnel from different departments tried to handle the elephant all the way till night. Police had to use mild lathi charge to drive people away who had gathered at the spot in large numbers. Another elephant was later brought to the spot with the help of which, 'Lakshmeesha' was injected with tranquilizers. The elephant has now been tied to one of the trees.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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Think Before You Post! Mangaluru Police Crack Down on Provocative Instagram Accounts

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December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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