COIMBATORE: Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Chief Wildlife Warden Dr Shekhar Kumar Neeraj asked the Southern Railway officials to demolish walls raised in five locations in corridors between two major stations - Coonoor and Kallar railway stations - in Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) to ease movement for the wild elephants.
He had inspected the stretch and the Hillgrove station on Saturday along with the railway officials.
Dr Shekhar Kumar Neeraj, in a press meet on Sunday, said, "We identified 30 retaining walls obstructing the movement of wild elephants and larger ungulate like Indian gaur." He told the officials to level the concrete structure obstructing the movement of animals and not initiate any other new construction on these stretches.
"We found plastic waste and disposed clothes, food wrappers and household waste dumped along the railway tracks which need to be cleared," he added.
Further, the State forest department officials advised the railways to cover open drainage shafts along the tracks in NMR.
Meanwhile, sources said, Dr Shekhar Kumar Neeraj with the Coimbatore forest division officials on Sunday trekked the railway line A and B in Madukkarai for seven km to assess the steps taken by the railways and forest department to prevent wild elephant deaths by speeding trains.
"Some measures such as vista clearances and solar light installation along line A have been taken. On the forest side, the slopes are extremely steep and fragile which could be dangerous for elephants and other mammals who want to cross this area and need to be levelled. Locals informed that usually, the express or fast trains blow the horns only occasionally which is against the standard operating procedure and the guidelines," said chief wildlife warden.
Jumbo not back on her feet at Periyathadagam
A team of forest staff and veterinarians have been taking steps since Sunday morning to help a cow elephant that fell sick near the brick kiln unit at Periyathadagam under the Coimbatore forest range, to get back on its feet.
The animal, around 40-years-old, was unable to stand even after it was administrated over 40 IV fluid bottles and multiple injections by veterinary assistant surgeons Prabhu and K Rajesh Kumar of Theppakkadu.
According to DFO TK Ashok Kumar, "Its trunk moved actively after treatment and it was fed watermelon, jaggery, salt etc. However, the animal is unable to stand on her own. We have decided to lift the animal using a JCP vehicle."
Pregnant elephant killed by a tusker
A cow elephant at Barali in the Karamadai forest range that was pregnant was killed by another elephant as she allegedly resisted mating, according to the postmortem examination report. DFO said the wounds in the carcass indicated the attack.
Veterinary assistant surgeons K Rajesh Kumar and Kavitha carried out postmortem examination to the animal in the presence of C Dinesh Assistant Conservator of forest and Karamadai Forest Range officer EN Manokaran and members of NGO The animal was buried nearby later.
'Anthrax infection not found'
In another incident, Coimbatore forest veterinarian K Sukumar carried out an autopsy on a 5-year-old tusker at the tea fields of Muthumudi estate near Valparai on Sunday.
The animal was found dead on Friday and a herd of wild elephants blocked the staff from nearing the carcass. The animals were driven away on Saturday. However, the autopsy was not done over a suspicion that the animal could have died due to anthrax on Saturday. After tests, it was found that there is no anthrax infection.