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Kumki elephants to chase a straying herd near Siruvani

Staff Reporter

They will help prevent wild elephants straying into human habitations

CURBING INTRUSION: Two kumki elephants from Top Slip which have been brought to Chadivayal to chase away the wild elephants straying into human habitations. — Photo:K. Ananthan

Coimbatore: The Forest Department has brought in two "kumki" elephants, or tamed and trained wild elephants, at Chadivayal, in the foothills of Siruvani, to stop wild elephants straying into human habitations in and around Sundakkamuthur and Perur areas, about 20 km from Coimbatore city.

Following complaints of a herd straying over the last two months, Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore Circle, P.C. Tyagi, and District Forest Officer I. Anwardeen, constituted a team to initiate measures to get the herd back into its migratory corridor. Villagers who had sighted the herd said it consisted of one tusker, four female elephants and a calf.

It was when ad-hoc measures to chase them away, including through the use of powerful searchlights, failed, that the Department decided to bring in kumkis from the elephant camp at Top Slip in the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary. Two kumkis, Nanjan (47) and Kaleem (38), were brought on Thursday. The operation to trace the herd was supervised by forest veterinarian N.S. Manoharan. Two mahoutsand two helpers are stationed at Chadivayal. The Forest Department deployed personnel led by three range officers, from Coimbatore, Pooluvapatti and Karamadai for the drive. Volunteers from the Coimbatore District Forest Protection and Environment Society (CDFPES), led by N.I. Jalaludeen and C.V.A. Jaleel, helped disperse were making arrangements for the operations. Volunteers and forest department staff have been on the lookout for the herd along with the kumkis for the past three days. The kumkis would return only after chasing the herd back into the jungle, officials said.

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