COIMBATORE: The committee which was formed by the State government to come out with solutions to mitigate human-animal conflict in Gudalur region is conducting a study and interacting with the affected people and tea estate managers along with the political leaders and getting their opinion. Four people were killed in Gudalur forest division so far this year.
D. Venkatesh, field director of MTR, is head of the committee, along with the member secretary Kommu Omkaram District Forest Officer of Gudalur division, members K. Ramesh senior scientist of Wildlife Institute of India, B Ramakrishnan Assistant Professor, Department of wildlife Biology Government Arts College Udhagamandalam, D. Boominathan landscape coordinator of WWF and Tarsh Thekkekara Managing Trustee of Shola Trust.
Apart from visiting tea gardens, the committee members checked out the route taken by elephants at O-Valley, Cherambadi, Pandalur and interacted with the affected people. B Ramakrishnan Assistant Professor, Department of wildlife Biology Government Arts College Udhagamandalam, who is one of the committee members told TNIE that the man elephant conflict is occurring in Gudalur division over two decades and it will take time to find an integrated solution, since the division is facing issues like forest fragmentation and Section 17 lands of the Gudalur Janmam Estates (Abolition and Conversion into Ryotwari) Act where the some people have been encroached. The state government is taking steps to address Section 17 land issue.
Ramakrishnan said the animals are using O-Valley to reach Mukurthi National Park and Bandipur. Also, the animals use Cherambadi to reach Nilambur in Wayanad in Kerala from Mukurthi during the migratory season. D Venkatesh, Field Director of MTR said they are working out a plan to prevent human deaths and injuries caused by wild elephants. “The project will be submitted soon,” he said.