Making use of the tamed/trained kumki elephants at the Kozhikamudhi elephant camp near Top Slip in Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), officials have planned a patrolling of the forest areas on elephant in inaccessible and tough terrains.
The camp of the ATR has nearly 18 kumki elephants and agile and healthy elephants would be deployed in almost all the six ranges of the Reserve for ensuring visible patrolling covering majority of the 958 sq km Tiger Reserve. During monsoon, there is a revival of vegetation, making certain pockets not accessible by foot or by vehicles. However, inaccessibility could never be a reason for not patrolling the jungles, as plunderers of forest wealth, ganja cultivators and poachers could take advantage of this.
Beginning next week, the kumki elephants will be used by the forest personnel to visit these places to ensure that there were forest offenders such as ganja cultivators, tree cutters or poachers taking shelter in deeper pockets.
The elephant patrolling will help in ensuring visible presence of forest personnel to keep offenders at bay, Mr. Srivastava told The Hindu . In addition, detailed plans have been drawn up for ensuring surprise checks and raids in the form of combing operations.
