MADURAI: One wild dog (Sennai or Dhole) and Bonnet Macaque each can be spotted in the Madurai district, revealed an RTI filed with the forest department, which conducted the wildlife census in 2022 after four years. The district has a decent amount of forest area in Usilampatti and Sholavandhan among others. 17 other animals, including leopards, bears, and golden jackals, can be found in the district. Several number of Bonnet Macaques can be seen in Thiruparangundram and Alagar hill areas.
District Forest Officer Dr D Guruswamy Dabbala said the Indian wild dogs must have migrated to other forest regions in the neighbouring districts in search of their prey. "Special teams were made to conduct the wildlife census earlier this year.
According to the census, the number of sloth bears and wild boars is at 59 and 45 respectively. 34 Indian gaurs and spotted deer can be found. There are 21 Asian elephants in Madurai. Notably, the spotting of a small civet cat and Indian grey Mongoose remains at just one in all of Madurai. Three leopards were spotted in Usilampatti area. Over the past five years, 15 poaching cases have been filed in Madurai," he added.
Environmental enthusiasts from Madurai said the Dhole hunts as a group and continues to migrate to find suitable prey and hence spotting it might be difficult.
Wildlife census for 2022:
Source: RTI response from the forest department