Residents prevent forest dept from moving jumbo

KOCHI: Tension prevailed at Abhayaranyam elephant camp at Kodanad early on Sunday after forest department tried to move an elephant from the area to Tamil Nadu to be trained as a kumki elephant. Residents gathered outside the camp in protest after three vehicles came to transport the elephant.

Kumki elephants are trained elephants that are mainly used to drive wild elephants back to the forest when they foray into nearby villages. Neelakandan, a local favourite among elephant admirers, was brought to Kodanad when he was six months old. He is 22 year-old-now and grew up at the elephant camp.

“They were trying to fool us by promising that he will not be moved and later brought vehicles to transport him in the middle of the night,” said M S Sukumaran, coordinator of Janakeeya Samiti that has been protesting against this plan over the past few months.

“We had our suspicions and people were patrolling the area expecting such a move. By night, a forest officer came to the spot in a bike and monitored the area. Later, a forest vehicle and two trucks came. At least 300 persons, including women, came to the spot despite heavy rain,” he said.

They claimed that without their star jumbo, the elephant camp with just eight elephants would hamper tourism. They added that the department is not bringing developmental projects and are now trying to destroy the camp by taking away elephants.

Later, senior forest officials, MLA Eldhose Kunnappilly and other local body members met the protestors. Forest officials promised that they won’t move the elephant until the MLA and forest minister found a solution.

“An elephant from Konni named Surendran, Surya from Muthanga and Neelakandan from Kodanad were supposed to undergo training for 90 days from June 15. Our orders were to take the elephant and the mahout to Mudumalai Tiger Reserve,” said a forest officer.

He added that the department was not in a position to promise anything. “With repeated instances of man-animal conflicts reported in Kerala, it is high time that we have our own kumki elephants. Now, we are relying on other states when need arises. If Neelakandan becomes a kumki, then chances are that he would be deployed in areas where there are constant man-animal conflicts,” said a forest officer privy to the information, adding that a similar issue persists in Konni as well.


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Residents prevent forest dept from moving jumbo

KOCHI: Tension prevailed at Abhayaranyam elephant camp at Kodanad early on Sunday after forest department tried to move an elephant from the area to Tamil Nadu to be trained as a kumki elephant. Residents gathered outside the camp in protest after three vehicles came to transport the elephant.

Kumki elephants are trained elephants that are mainly used to drive wild elephants back to the forest when they foray into nearby villages. Neelakandan, a local favourite among elephant admirers, was brought to Kodanad when he was six months old. He is 22 year-old-now and grew up at the elephant camp.

“They were trying to fool us by promising that he will not be moved and later brought vehicles to transport him in the middle of the night,” said M S Sukumaran, coordinator of Janakeeya Samiti that has been protesting against this plan over the past few months.

“We had our suspicions and people were patrolling the area expecting such a move. By night, a forest officer came to the spot in a bike and monitored the area. Later, a forest vehicle and two trucks came. At least 300 persons, including women, came to the spot despite heavy rain,” he said.

They claimed that without their star jumbo, the elephant camp with just eight elephants would hamper tourism. They added that the department is not bringing developmental projects and are now trying to destroy the camp by taking away elephants.

Later, senior forest officials, MLA Eldhose Kunnappilly and other local body members met the protestors. Forest officials promised that they won’t move the elephant until the MLA and forest minister found a solution.

“An elephant from Konni named Surendran, Surya from Muthanga and Neelakandan from Kodanad were supposed to undergo training for 90 days from June 15. Our orders were to take the elephant and the mahout to Mudumalai Tiger Reserve,” said a forest officer.

He added that the department was not in a position to promise anything. “With repeated instances of man-animal conflicts reported in Kerala, it is high time that we have our own kumki elephants. Now, we are relying on other states when need arises. If Neelakandan becomes a kumki, then chances are that he would be deployed in areas where there are constant man-animal conflicts,” said a forest officer privy to the information, adding that a similar issue persists in Konni as well.



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Kumki Pari to be shifted to Varakaliyar elephant camp

Kumki Pari to be shifted: A 35-year-old kumki elephant, Pari, will be shifted from Chadivayal elephant camp in Coimbatore to Varakaliyar elephant camp in Topslip on Saturday.

The elephant has been protecting people and crops from wild elephants since 2012.

Special pujas will be conducted at the elephant camp at Chadivayal in Coimbatore before the sendoff ceremony.

Another elephant, Sujai, 47, which lost one of its ivories in a wild elephant attack in January 17, 2017, will be send to Theppakkadu elephant camp within a week period.

Two kumki elephants, John and Cheran, will be brought to Chadivayal elephant camp from Theppakkadu soon.

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Kumki deployed in Valparai estate as elephant kills man

The Forest Department on Sunday deployed kumki elephant Khaleem at Karumalai estate in Valparai to handle a female wild elephant that trampled a 60-year-old man to death on Saturday.

Valparai Forest Range Officer P. Sakthivel said that deployment of one more kumki from Topslip elephant camp has been sought to handle the 20-year-old elephant that has been roaming in human habitation of Karumalai estate for the last 10 days.

“We are trying to drive the female elephant back to the forest. The task can be done effectively with two kumkis,” said Mr. Sakthivel.

The victim Velusamy was trampled to death by the wild elephant at a graveyard when he was attending the funeral of another resident of the estate. While others managed to escape when chased by the elephant, Velusamy fell on the ground. Residents later staged protest demanding solution from authorities in frequent human-elephant conflict in the estate.

Staff Reporter from Udhagamandalam adds

A 3-year-old female elephant calf was found dead near the Game Hut to Chikallah Road near Onnaratty Junction on Saturday.

E Vijayaraghavan, forest veterinarian, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, who performed the autopsy, said that the calf had died of stomach ulcer. Samples of the animal’s visceral organs were collected and sent for further analysis.

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