COIMBATORE: Officials of the Coimbatore Forest Division decided to train tribal men from Chadivayal to handle captive and wild elephants. Once Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra gives his approval, a group of tribal men from Chadivayal will be taken to the Kozhikamuthi elephant camp in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) and the Theppakadu elephant camp in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) for training in handling elephants.
The initiative was mooted by Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director of ATR D Venkatesh and Coimbatore Forest Division District Forest Officer N Venkatesh Prabhu to provide livelihood opportunities to tribal men living in Chadivayal.
As the Coimbatore Forest Division is a conflict-prone area, the trained mahouts and Kavadis could be engaged to handle problematic wild elephants if they are captured and the State government orders that the animals be maintained at Chadivayal.
Currently, four elephants - two each from Kozhikamuthi in ATR and Theppakadu in MTR - are housed at Chadivayal after being brought there soon after the camp was inaugurated. Though the Forest Department had assured the mahouts and kavadis that the elephants would be shifted back to their respective camps within six months, they continue to remain at Chadivayal.
However, sources in the Forest Department said the elephants would soon be sent back to their respective camps. "Considering that John and Cauvery have spent the last six months at the Chadivayal camp, we were expecting a birth soon. That is why we were hesitant to shift both of them to Kozhikamuthi. If a birth takes place, it would be a significant achievement in conservation and a notable milestone for the Chadivayal elephant camp," said sources in the Forest Department.
"Both are of a suitable age for giving birth. At the same time, Sumangala, a female elephant, is being kept separately from the male elephants. We have eight separate quarters for mahouts and kavadis, and they are well maintained. Even the Chief Wildlife Warden, who inspected the Chadivayal elephant camp recently, appreciated the maintenance of the campsite and noted that it was clean and hygienic," said a Forest Department official.
