Forest dept to stop straying of wild elephants
For the first time forest officials plan to tranquilise and re-locate a she-elephant in order to stop a herd of the pachyderms straying into city outskirts.
By PTI |
COIMBATORE: Forest department officials are planning to tranquilise and re-locate a she-elephant in order to stop a herd of the pachyderms following it and straying into city outskirts from the nearby forest range.
According to officials a she-elephant had stayed back in the Coimbatore forest range, mid-way its migratory path from Bandipur forest in Karnataka to Malampuzha in Kerala.
As the rainy season starts in Tamil Nadu by October, usually around 25 elephants migrate from Bandipur to Malampuzha through Coonoor and Coimbatore forests. They return to Bandipur by January, they said.
This time, the she-elephant had stayed back and had been straying into Chettipalayam area since October. It also had 'attracted' three male elephants, including a calf, which were following her. The herd had been straying into human habitat, damaging crop and injuring people, for the past four months.
A forest personnel was also killed in December last when he was trying to frighten them into forest using crackers.
R Kannan, Conservator of Forests, said that a proposal has been sent to the state Chief Wild Life Warden, seeking permission to tranquilise the female elephant and send it to a 'right and safer accomodation', possibly a sanctuary.
Such a risky exercise would be carried out in Tamil Nadu for the first time, he said adding there was also a proposal to set up a camp of six tamed elephants at a cost of Rs 116 lakh in Coimbatore.
Kannan said that another Rs 6.2 crore proposal has been sent for procuring search lights, solar fencing along forest periphery and also to set up a committee for night vigil.
According to officials a she-elephant had stayed back in the Coimbatore forest range, mid-way its migratory path from Bandipur forest in Karnataka to Malampuzha in Kerala.
As the rainy season starts in Tamil Nadu by October, usually around 25 elephants migrate from Bandipur to Malampuzha through Coonoor and Coimbatore forests. They return to Bandipur by January, they said.
This time, the she-elephant had stayed back and had been straying into Chettipalayam area since October. It also had 'attracted' three male elephants, including a calf, which were following her. The herd had been straying into human habitat, damaging crop and injuring people, for the past four months.
A forest personnel was also killed in December last when he was trying to frighten them into forest using crackers.
R Kannan, Conservator of Forests, said that a proposal has been sent to the state Chief Wild Life Warden, seeking permission to tranquilise the female elephant and send it to a 'right and safer accomodation', possibly a sanctuary.
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Such a risky exercise would be carried out in Tamil Nadu for the first time, he said adding there was also a proposal to set up a camp of six tamed elephants at a cost of Rs 116 lakh in Coimbatore.
Kannan said that another Rs 6.2 crore proposal has been sent for procuring search lights, solar fencing along forest periphery and also to set up a committee for night vigil.
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