ERODE: The forest department has installed AI cameras on the Kadambur Hills, under Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), in Erode district to track a lone elephant that has reportedly become a threat to nearby human habitations. Additionally, officials have set up a nighttime wildlife monitoring team in the Kadambur Forest Range.
Following a recent incident in Kadambur where a farmer was killed in an elephant attack, the forest department has intensified monitoring operations in the area.
The Parapetta Reserved Forest in the Kadambur Forest Range spans an area of about 1,250 hectares. Numerous agricultural plots and villages surround this forest.
On June 3, R Pasuvaraj, a villager, died in an elephant attack in the Iruttipalayam area near Parapetta. Similarly, on July 18, P Thangavel, another villager, was killed by a wild elephant in the same area. Against this backdrop, the villagers requested the forest department to clear roadside bushes and take measures to prevent human-wildlife conflicts, sources said.
"A herd of elephants lives within the Parapetta Reserve Forest. At night, elephants come out of the woods and at times go to nearby agricultural land. Human-elephant conflicts occur during such instances. Villagers are saying that a certain lone elephant there poses a threat to human lives. But we don't think so. Even the recent incidents are accidental encounters," said S Gautham, deputy director of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (Sathyamangalam division).
"We are taking various measures to prevent such incidents. Accepting the public's request, we have installed AI cameras at six necessary locations to monitor the elephants. Additionally, bushes and weeds have been cleared from both sides of the forest road passing through Parapetta. There are curves along a 1.5-km stretch of this road. By clearing the bushes, motorists can spot wild animals from a distance," the DFO added.
Furthermore, the DFO said, "In the current situation, the number of wild animals has also increased. Similarly, vehicular traffic has also increased on forest roads. Therefore, we are also undertaking awareness initiatives to prevent human-animal conflicts. We urge the villagers to avoid travelling on forest roads at night. We also urge the farmers to avoid engaging in guard duty in farmlands at night. Because if crops are damaged by wild animals, they can always get compensation."
"Steps are being taken to identify the elephant involved in the public's claim and to submit a report to senior officials regarding the damage caused by it. Additionally, to assist the public and farmers, a nighttime wildlife monitoring team has been formed to monitor elephants. That team is on patrol duty from 5 pm to 6 am," another forest official said.
