COIMBATORE: Tamil Nadu’s first wildlife rescue treatment and rehabilitation centre which is being constructed at Pethikuttai in Sirumugai forest range is expected to be completed within two months.
Speaking in legislative assembly on 3 September 2021, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced the project. Later, the government sanctioned Rs 4 lakh to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) to establish the facility at an estimate of Rs 19.5 crore.
According to forest department sources, the 53-hectare facility will have a veterinary centre, treatment room, post mortem room, enclosure for big cats like tiger and leopard along with elephant care hub, a resting centre for veterinarians and staff. It will have a core area of greenery to give animals the impression that they are in forest and not in human habitation.
Once inaugurated, animals like elephants, sloth bear, leopards, chital, sloth bear, snake, peafowl that get injured in accidents or after they enter human habitations will be brought here and taken care of. Currently, the forest department treats injured animals and releases them back in the wild or shifts them to the Vandalur Zoo or Kozhikamuthi elephant camp.
N Jayaraj, district forest officer of Coimbatore forest division said, “Treatment and release of wildlife are among our core activities. The existing facilities are not adequate and do not meet requirements. The lack of dedicated and modern veterinary care facilities lead to delayed or lesser than desired treatment. The rescue treatment and rehabilitation centre will greatly benefit wild animals in distress,” he said
“The Pethikuttai centre will cater to needs of animals rescued in and around Coimbatore Forest division especially in the western ghat region of Tamil Nadu,” he added.
Further, the DFO said a total of 4,243 animals, birds and reptiles have been rescued in the Coimbatore forest division in the last four years. These include three elephants and six leopards.
The Coimbatore forest division is situated within the Coimbatore district and some part falls under Erode district. It is spread across 69,347.72 hectares, extending from the foothills of Nilgiris to the border of Kerala. It shares a 350-km boundary with several revenue villages which are prone to human-animal conflicts.