COIMBATORE: A total of 25 staff from three forest ranges have been deputed to monitor elephant ‘Baahubali’ as it has started raiding crops and entering the residential areas in Samayapuram near Mettupalayam again.
Two years ago, the forest department initiated an operation to capture Baahubali. However after a few months, the operation was called off due to various reasons, including lack of funds and as animal continued to stay inside the forest.
Based on requests from farmers and locals as the animal is frequenting farmlands and residential areas in the past month allegedly due to summer, District Forest Officer N Jayaraj has deputed additional staff strength at the Mettupalayam forest range. The animal is moving inside Mettupalayam in Samayapuram, Nellithurai and Nellimalai forests. A video of the animal roaming in Samayapuram even during the daytime on Monday went viral on social media.
“The animal is attracted to the maize crop grown along Bhavanisagar river in Mettupalayam and frequently enters into the farmlands. Farmers have complained about the less number of staff being engaged in chasing the animal inside the forest, following which we have deputed additional staff from Sirumugai and Karamadai forest range to monitor Baahubali and divert it inside the forest to prevent human-elephant interactions,” said Jayaraj.
“Apart from staff, an additional vehicle will also be given to the staff to reach the spot at the earliest whenever there is an alert about elephant movement,” he said. “Currently the animal is in Nellithurai reserve forest and the team will continue to monitor and prevent it from entering into the farmlands. Though the animal is frequenting to the farming lands, there is no much damages so far and injuries to the human,” said Jayaraj
Mettupalayam forest range officer Joseph Stalin told TNIE that they are observing a trend that the animal comes out of forest from March and continues to spend time near the farmlands till June. “We need to find the reason behind it since water facility is available inside the forest and we are filling up troughs on a regular basis. However, the animal has never shown aggressive behaviour towards humans in the last three years,” he said. “Our staff have been creating awareness to the farmers and people to avoid approaching the animal pathway. Apart from maize, the animal eats bananas, arecanut branches and Kunthappanai. It spends 80% of time in Mettupalayam and 20% in Sirumugai forest range every year,” he added.