Forest Department warns residents of jumbo movement in Ambur
The Forest Department has warned residents living on the fringes of Sanakuppam reserve forest (RF) near Ambur town in Tirupattur against venturing out of their houses, especially at night, as a lone tusker has been camping in the area for nearly a week now.
Forest officials said that the 45-year-old tusker used to stay in deep forest areas in the region due to its poor vision. The wild tusker got separated from its herd many years ago during their migration from Kaundinya Wildlife Sanctuary in Chittoor (A.P) to forest areas in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka along elephant corridor. Since then, the elephant has been roaming in Jawadhu Hills. “The elephant is in good condition except for its poor eye sight. It prefers to stay away from human habitation. Efforts are being taken to send him back to deep forests,” M. Babu, forest range officer (Ambur), told The Hindu.
Special patrol teams led by Mr. Babu have been camping in the villages around Sanakuppam RF for the past few days to send back the elephant into deep forest areas. A helpline number (9786254998) has also been issued by the Forest Department for residents to alert if they spot the animal near human habitation or in the fringe areas of the forests.
Forest officials said that Ambur, Pernmabut and Gudiyatham forest areas are part of the elephant corridor due to its proximity with Kaundinya sanctuary. Herds of elephants travel through dense reserve forests like Pichannur, Veera Chatti Patti, Parathami extension and Kalapadi in Gudiyatham range before moving to Mordhana dam on the edge of these forest areas. In 2021 alone, 46 elephants migrated from the sanctuary to the RFs around Mordhana dam along the corridor in search of food and water due to the rise in its population over the years.
Officials said that solar-powered electric fences along the corridor are also blocking the free movement of elephants from the sanctuary to travel to RFs in neighbouring Krishnagiri, Hosur and Erode. Awareness is being created among residents to prevent any harm to the wild tusker.
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