COIMBATORE: In a move aimed at strengthening measures to mitigate human-elephant conflict, two captive elephants were brought to the newly inaugurated Chadivayal elephant camp near Coimbatore.
The elephants, Muthu (24) and Cauvery (17), from Kozhikamuthi elephant camp in the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), arrived at Chadivayal late at night along with their mahouts.
Forest officials said both elephants are acclimatising well to their new surroundings. “Upon arrival, Muthu and Cauvery have begun adapting to the camp environment and are being closely monitored by their handlers,” an official said.
Forest officials said that, as Cauvery is a female elephant, it is unlikely to be deployed extensively in direct operations to drive wild elephants back into forest areas. Muthu, on the other hand, has prior experience in conflict mitigation operations.
Earlier nicknamed ‘Arisi’ Raja for its fondness for raiding rice stocks, the elephant was captured near Pollachi in 2019 after it was involved in multiple attacks that resulted in the deaths of four persons, including an eight-year-old girl.
Located in the foothills of the Western Ghats, the sprawling Chadivayal camp has the capacity to house up to 20 elephants. The facility includes a swimming pool for the animals to bathe and cool off, dedicated walking tracks, shaded shelters and a kraal, a secure enclosure used during the training and conversion of wild elephants into kumkis.
The camp was recently inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin as part of efforts to strengthen the state’s response to increasing instances of human-wildlife conflict in the region.
Until seven years ago, Chadivayal housed two kumkis, which were later relocated to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR). Since then, kumkis had to be brought in from ATR or MTR, often involving challenging hill terrain for operations to drive away straying wild elephants or to assist in capture missions in the Coimbatore district.
Forest officials said the decision to station kumkis permanently at Chadivayal follows a recent rise in incidents of wild elephants entering human settlements along the forest fringes. The presence of trained elephants is expected to enable quicker response and more effective conflict management.