GETTING READY: Nanjan (right) and Khalim (left), kumkis from Top Slip at Chadivayal, near Coimbatore. - Photo: K. Ananthan

Coimbatore: Two kumkis (trained elephants) from the elephant camp at Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary (IGWLS) in Top Slip were pressed into service on Wednesday for chasing a herd of wild elephants that strayed into a farm, near an engineering college at Pachapalayam near Perur.

A herd consisting of one tusker, four female elephants and a calf were frequently straying into human habitations near Pachapalayam and Perur for the last two months.

They have not caused any loss of life but have damaged.

Forest officials were all along been driving the herd back into its migratory corridor using powerful searchlights, in vain. After a detailed study of the problem, the Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore Circle, P.C. Tyagi, and the District Forest Officer, I. Anwardeen, decided to requisite the services of kumkis from the Top Slip elephant camp to drive the herd back into the forest, close to a water body.

Kumkis Nanjan (47) and Khalim (37) were positioned at Chadivayal at the foothills of Siruvani under the supervision of the Forest Veterinarian, N.S. Manoharan.

They located the herd, near Pachapalayam on Wednesday. Volunteers from the Coimbatore District Forest Protection and Environment Society assisted the mahouts and cavadis. The forest officials led by Coimbatore Range Officer, A. Soundarajan, Foresters L.C.S. Rajkanth, M. Senthilkumar and N.Palanisamy along with volunteers controlled the crowd of anxious onlookers. The officials were hopeful of putting the herd back into their migratory track and deep into the jungles by Thursday.

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