COIMBATORE: Around a hundred people living in and around
Anaikatti in Coimbatore district of
Tamil Nadu blocked the Alamara Medu Road on Monday demanding that a lone
elephant ravaging their crops and damaging their houses be tranquilised and moved to another location immediately.
They said the lone elephant, which they have named Chinna Thambi, had been living in their area for more than a year now. It was feeding on their crops which included maize.
Around 100 residents of small villages like Kondanur blocked the main Alamara Medu Road saying that they wanted the elephant to be captured and moved to another location.
“A lone wild elephant named Chinna Thambi by us has been living in our forest range for a few years now. Many
villagers like it,” said Joshua, a social activist living in the area.
“It usually moves around Chinna Thadagam, Nanjundapuram and 24 Veerapandi for a few days before climbing up to Periya Thadagam, Mankarai and Anaikatti and then it gets shooed away to Marudhamalai area,” he said.
“The elephant is used to our area because we cultivate crops like maize, sugarcane and banana which is liked by the elephant. There is a stream which gives it a water source too,” said Joshua. “But, now the elephant has become used to the food source in the area. For the past two months, it has tried entering our kitchens too and taking provisions like wheat and rice,” said another protester.
“If it just takes our provisions, we can live with it. But in the process, it damages our houses,” he said.
Police and forest department later met the villagers and pacified them. “We have placed a jeep and 10 staffs for the past two months near Kondanar village to monitor this wild elephant and scare it away if it comes near their fields or houses,” said forest ranger Suresh.
“The villagers want us to trap, tranquilize and move it to another area is an operation that can only be permitted by the state forest department in Chennai, the forest minister and chief conservator of forests,” he said.
