NILGIRIS: Tamil Nadu and Kerala forest department officials on Monday conducted a joint patrol to protect wildlife and prevent wildfire.
The Tamil Nadu team was led by M Yuvaraj Kumar, the forest range officer of the Mukurthi National Park range. S Vinod, wildlife warden of the Silent Valley National park, headed the Kerala team.
“There is a high chance that people may enter the forest to collect honey or firewood. The joint patrol prevents human intrusion as it would lead to forest fires. We will book a trespassing case against those found roaming inside the forest,” said Yuvaraj Kumar.
“Due to inclement weather, the grass has dried up, thus posing a high chance of fire. Human presence only heightens this risk. Members of both the teams interacted with the villagers and told them to alert us if intruders are spotted,” the TN official added.