Farmers, villagers heave a sigh of relief

Coimbatore: Capturing of Vinayagan might not be the end of the problem. While farmers and villagers of Periyathadagam, Varapalayam, Pannimadai and Chinnathadagam heaved a sigh of relief after Vinayagan was captured, environmentalists and forest officials say translocating elephants is not a solution to man–elephant conflicts.
They say only a multi-pronged approach – digging elephant proof trenches, setting up solar fences and improving fodder and water sources inside jungle - would solve the issue.

Chief conservator of forests (CCF), Coimbatore circle, Deepak Srivastava said capturing and translocating an elephant is not a solution.

“As per the elephant psychology, if the leader is taken out, there will be severe impact in the herd. Vinayagan and Chinnathambi were providing leadership for the herd,” Deepak Srivastava said.

He said CRPF at Kurudampalayam has blocked the migratory routes of wild elephants. “Migratory paths have been compromised. There should not be any structures on the migratory path. A study is on to analyze the migratory pattern of the elephants and the factors leading them to enter human habitats,” Deepak Srivatsava said.

“We are trying to take preventive measures. We are profiling the elephants to find out the problematic ones. This would help to prevent man-animal conflicts. We will create green fodder banks inside the reserve forest and water facilities. We will use the advanced technology to monitor the wild elephants. So, we can avoid elephants’ intrusion into villages,” he said.

“We have submitted a proposal to the government for real-time monitoring of the elephant movement. We will install 12 censor thermal cameras in vantage points from Thondamuthur, Boluvampatti and few more areas and we can easily track the wild elephants,” Deepak Srivastava said.

Activist GPN Joshua said, “In Thadagam valley, brick kiln units are involved in sand mining. It affected the movements of elephants. Many educational institutions have also come up along the elephant corridors. When its pathways are blocked, the elephants were forced to enter villages.”

State general secretary of Vivasayigal Sangam (non-political, non-communal and non-religion) P Kandasamy welcomed the forest department for translocating Vinayagan. “We demand the forest department to capture and translocate ‘Chinnathambi’ as well,” said Kandasamy.

He said the forest department should arrange a meeting with farmers, environmental activists, ministers, MLAs, MPs, forest, revenue, agriculture department officials to find a permanent solution for man-animal conflict.