The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Wildlife cell reconstituted to rescue animals

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 22, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Wildlife cell reconstituted to rescue animals

P. Oppili

More staff posted to prevent them from straying The rescue cell in Chennai gets distress calls from individuals, corporate houses, industries and places of worship about monkeys and snakes that have strayed into human habitats.

CHENNAI: Wildlife authorities in Chennai have reconstituted the rescue cell and augmented manpower to prevent animals and reptiles from straying into human habitats.

Seven persons have been posted in the cell. They work round the clock and take calls from residents of Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts, K.S.S.V.P. Reddy, wildlife warden, said.

Between April 2004 and March 2005, the cell received 788 distress calls. Snakes, peacocks, mongooses, monkeys, star tortoises and monitor lizards were rescued, Mr. Reddy said. A total of 1,226 animals and reptiles were rescued and the maximum number of calls were about monkey menace. The authorities captured 462 monkeys from the residential areas, followed by 367 rat snakes. More than 260 cobras were also rescued.

Sometime ago, a copper back tree snake was spotted at an ATM centre of a nationalised bank in Tiruvanmiyur. Following complaints, a team from the cell trapped the reptile, Mr. Reddy said.

The rescued animals were kept in the Wildlife Headquarters office at Velachery, which had enough facilities to take care of them. The cell usually got distress calls from houses, industries, corporate houses, schools, hospitals and places of worship, said the authorities. The department offered the services Irula tribals provided (trapping snakes and other reptiles) to private companies on request. The caller was required to pay a fee to the Irulas Cooperative Society, according to an order issued by Dr. Sukhdev, Chief Wildlife Warden, Tamil Nadu.

The calls would be attended on the gravity of the situation. Residents can contact 22200335 if they encountered reptiles or animals.

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