With Forest officials gearing up for a synchronised wildlife census from December 16 to 22, key tourist places in Coimbatore and the Nilgiris will be closed till the completion of the survey.
Top Slip and other forest areas under Anaimalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) would remain closed.
M. Badhrasamy, District Forest Officer, the Nilgiris South Division, said that Avalanche, Cairn Hill and Upper Bhavani will remain out of bounds for tourists.
As many as 225 staff members and more than 75 volunteers will be given a briefing on the dos and don’ts during the census in tiger reserves and protected forest areas, said Rajiv K. Srivastava, Field Director, ATR. The census will be done in 958 sq km area spread over six ranges.
In Coimbatore, the Conservator of Forests – Coimbatore Circle V.T. Kandasamy and District Forest Officer M. Senthilkumar are finalising the arrangements for the census to be carried out in over 650 sq km area over six ranges.
Mr. Srivastava said the briefing session on Monday will be to guide the staff and volunteers on line transect method. There are a total of 74 line transects for the wildlife count. The training would also include how to operate the GPS and to fill up six different forms.
From December 17 to 19, the census would be for carnivore sign survey, and volunteers and staff will have to walk for a minimum of five km.
The staff will look for evidence of carnivores like pug marks, scratch marks on tree barks and scats. From December 18 to 22, the drive would assess the prey population to assess the health of the habitat.
The survey would also include assessment of vegetation survey and evaluation of human disturbance. Volunteers would also record sightings of lesser-known species, be it insects, birds, mammals or amphibians.
Teams will be provided with first aid box and staff had been asked to stock anti-venom serum at base camps besides keeping a list of nearby hospitals.