Multi-grain flour (sathu maavu) and rice flour are among the favourite food of ‘Bulldozer’, a makna (tuskless male elephant) that earned the nickname for damaging houses for food in villages in the forest peripheries of Coimbatore and Palakkad districts.
When the makna was recently found with a grave injury in its mouth, believed to be caused in a crude bomb explosion, the Forest Department did not have a second thought on the food in which the medicines can be mixed and administered to it.
The makna had damaged a few houses within the limits of Pooluvapatti forest range of Coimbatore Forest Division last week and officials found that it had particularly relished multi-grain flour and rice flour.
“One of the house owners said that the makna mainly ate multi-grain flour. So we mixed essential drugs in powder form with the flour and kept at different places. The elephant ate all of them,” said I. Anwardeen, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore Circle.
The makna that was active in Sholayur and Attappadi areas of Palakkad came to Coimbatore side in early August. The elephant later returned to Sholayur and the Kerala Forest Department tranquillized it for treatment. Kerala officials informed their counterparts in Coimbatore that its condition was serious due to the grave injury in its oral cavity.
“The makna is unable to chew due to the injury. It sprays water into its mouth and small amounts go inside. Similarly, it takes flour using trunk and sprays into the mouth,” said an official who has been monitoring the elephant’s health.
The makna was found within the limits of Coimbatore forest range on Tuesday night. It moved around eight km at night, damaged three thatched houses and raided crops in Nanjundapuram village.
As the elephant is likely to raid houses for soft food, the Forest Department has issued advisory to the public in villages where the elephant might stray into.
Storing edible items such as rice, maize, flours of millets, wheat, salt, jaggery, sugar etc., in houses close to forests may attract elephants. Hence, villagers were asked to sprinkle turmeric and chilli powder around the houses and over the stored items. They were also advised to keep lights on at night and use flickering lights to discourage elephants from coming into houses.