An advanced wildlife interpretation centre of the Forest Department with state-of-the-art facilities is coming up at Sethumadai near Pollachi. The interpretation centre will highlight the rich biodiversity of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) and its key species.
The work is under way at the centre located at the foothills near the Forest Department check post at Sethumadai on the way to Top Slip.
ATR Field Director S. Ramasubramanian said the centre was being set up at about ₹2 crore. He said several features would be added to the centre to make it a knowledge resource centre on wildlife.
The centre with a garden has a mini theatre with 30 seats which will be used to screen wildlife related videos to the visitors. It can also be used for small meetings and seminars. An open amphitheatre is situated in the central courtyard of the building. A garden exclusively for cactus varieties is also in the making in the central courtyard next to the amphitheatre.
Life-like figures of key species of ATR, namely tiger to lion-tailed macaque and the Nilgiri tahr to king cobra and Sri Lanka frogmouth to fireflies, have found prominent place in the interpretation centre. One of the main attractions of the centre is a sensor-based device which projects visuals of an elephant and a tiger to a wall. The animals will react with movements and trumpet/roar when some one touches the images. The Department has also fixed a holographic projector which shows a 3D video that easily explains the food chain.
ATR Deputy Director M.G. Ganesan said the firefly figure had been made fully out of coconut shells, paying tribute to the Pollachi region – the coconut capital of Tamil Nadu.
V. Pugalendhi, forest range officer of Pollachi forest range, is overseeing the work of building the centre.
