With the movement of wild elephants increasing due to seasonal migration, experts warn people residing in areas close to forests of possible frequent encounters as the animals are looking for easy food such as rice, fruits and vegetables that are stored in houses and shops apart from raiding crops.
A family at Kalappanaicken Palayam near Vadavalli had a night of terror as a herd of seven elephants damaged the kitchen of the house and took out ration rice that was kept in sacks late on Wednesday. The elephants stood outside the house devouring the rice, before being chased by the local residents.
Residents of Valparai plateau are used to such incidents where human-elephant interactions are daily affairs. “Elephants have an incredible sense of smell. They can smell palatable items from a distance with their trunks. They can easily detect eatables, smells of which they are accustomed to,” said J. Peter Prem Chakravarthy, a biologist with the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR).
According to him, people living in such areas should avoid venturing out at night. Keeping lights around the house on at night would discourage elephants. “They also detect items such as salt kept in buildings through smell,” said an elephant expert N. Sivaganesan, who recalled how a tusker damaged an abandoned building in Dindigul district to get salt kept in gunny bags.
“A newly-wed couple had kept fruits in a Forest Department guest house at Valparai where they came for honeymoon. Though the doors and windows were closed due to the low temperature, an elephant sensed the smell of fruits and damaged windows to get them,” he said.
According to Mr. Sivaganesan, forest areas in Coimbatore district witness an influx of elephants from October. Various factors including grass phenology, availability of perennial water sources and green cover which is ideal for calving trigger this seasonal movement. “Elephants spread in small units in the forest division. Water storage areas of Bhavani Sagar reservoir, Pilloor reservoir and streams in the eastern slopes of the Nilgiris are among the major sources of water for them,” he said.
The Forest Department has advised people living near forest areas to alert the field staff upon spotting elephants and not to venture out to chase them. While the Coimbatore Forest Division has deployed multiple ‘border night patrolling teams’ to drive out elephants, ATR is conducting night patrols in Valparai plateau through four teams.