Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Chief Wildlife Warden V.K. Melkani instructed the forest department personnel in Mettupalayam and nearby areas to install camera traps to monitor the movement of elephants.
An official, who was part of the inspecting team, said that there a number of places where the jumbos damaged walls and crops but there were no pictures or videos of animals while they were in the act.
The documentation so far has been done with pictures taken after the damage was done and only after elephants left the place.
“The PCCF insisted on installing camera traps at vulnerable places to study them closer,” the officer said.
Mr. Melkani, after inspecting a hanging solar fence model at Odanthurai Reserve Forest on Coonoor Road, also mooted installing such fence to prevent elephants from entering agricultural lands close to the forest. About 18 months ago solar hanging fence was installed there for a stretch of about half-a-km. This has helped preventing elephants from entering agricultural lands in a handful of villages in that locality.
Mr. Melkani also visited the Sirumugai view point on Kotagiri Road and inspected the elephant corridor and crossing points.
He also visited elephant and wild animal crossing points at the Forest College, a medicine godown and between 2{+n}{+d}and 3{+r}{+d}hairpin bend on the Kotagiri Road.
He also inspected a water trough and percolation pond for wild animals at Pullikuttai in Mettupalayam Range.
The PCCF also asked field staff and officers to interact with farmers in the fringe areas and to strengthen the warning system to help villagers stay safe in case of wild elephant movement in those localities.
Conservator of Forests for Coimbatore Circle I. Anwardeen, District Forest Officer in-charge (Coimbatore) A. Periyasamy and Forest Range Officers M. Nazeer (Mettupalayam) and B. Srinivasan (Sirumugai) were also present during the inspection.
