The two trained elephants which were brought from Chittoor for operation Gaj for chasing wild tuskers to Orissa are starving and the forest department officials planned to shift them to Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. But the tribals stopped the shifting at Manapuram village under Veeraghattam mandal. They said the wild elephants, which created a havoc last year killing 11 persons and causing loss to the property, would return to the villages. Even the mahouts refused to move demanding their dues. Mahouts Ponnu Swamy, Murugan and Manikhantam said the government paid them only Rs 60,000 and the same amount was due to them. The officials already brought two trucks and planned to load the elephants in the afternoon.The shifting was temporarily stopped. The two elephants, Jayanti and Ganesh, were brought from Ramakuppam village of Chittoor district last year along with trainers and mahouts. It may be mentioned here that last week mahouts and their family members boarded a bus alleging that the forest department deserted them in the mosquito infested forest in Veeraghattam leaving them and the two elephants starving. Sources said the veterinary doctors who examined the elephants told the forest officials that they have become weak and could die of hunger. The divisional forest officer, K. Ravana Murthy, fearing this situation proposed to the higher officials that both the elephants should be shifted. Operation Gaj was launched on October 25 and it was stopped four days later following a complaint lodged to the centre by the Orissa Chief Minister, Mr Naveen Patnaik. Six elephants were trapped and two of them were sent to Lakheri forest in south Orissa.