The Forest Department has introduced a mobile warning system to alert residents of Marayur and nearby areas about possible incursions by wild elephants.
Incidents of elephant raids on human habitat have risen with the onset of summer. Wild elephants that reach farm areas in groups stay there for days damaging crops in the entire area.
“The alert will be sent as a message to the phone supplied by the department and a red signal light would blink on the mobile tower to warn the public about the presence of wild elephants,” said an official of the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary. The areas where the system would work include Babunagar, Nooruveedu, Karimutty, Puravayal and Indira Nagar. Riders on the forest path from Marayur to the Chinnar stretch of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway too will get the message about the presence of wild animals.
A primary response team consisting of residents in the area has been formed. The phone message will be sent to this group. The system was introduced in Marayur on the lines of the one installed in the areas of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary last year. The Forest Department also plans to introduce the system in other areas after reviewing the success in Marayur, he added.
