Coimbatore, Dec. 13
NGOs and media houses have joined forces to document Human - Elephant Conflict (HEC) in Coimbatore, in an attempt to study HEC and thereby provide solutions for the same in the Coimbatore Forest Division.
The work that started last Saturday, would go on for 60 days and cover all the seven ranges in the division, including Coimbatore, Madukkarai, Boluvampati, Sirumugai, Mettupalayam, Periyanaickenpalayam and Karamadai.
The team of 20 people involved in the project would video and photo document various aspects of conflict, including the straying of wild elephants into populated areas, guiding operations of straying elephants, mitigation measures taken by the department and finding out possible HEC hotspots.
The team recently had discussions with Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest - Project Tiger Sekhar Niraj, Conservator of Forest of Coimbatore Circle S. Ramasubramaniam, District Forest Officer N. Satheesh and Coimbatore District Collector T.N. Hariharan.
According to N.I. Jalaluddin, President of Nature Conservation Society (NCS), the immediate objective of the team would be to document deaths of elephants and humans because of conflict. “While humans are killed directly by elephants, pachyderms indirectly fall prey to country-made bombs and get electrocuted by fences,“ he said. Compensation provided by the Department for the losses is also to be recorded.
He further added that when details like those are collected, it would be easier to understand the conflict situation in the division.
Coimbatore, being surrounded by forests on the western side, is also vulnerable to HEC as the number of deaths has skyrocketed in the last few years. According to department data, 23 elephants died in 2016. The number of human beings killed by elephants was also more than 10 last year.
This year alone, 17 elephants have died so far, with more than 50 per cent due to natural causes. More than 16 human beings have also been killed by elephants and more than 30 persons have been injured in Coimbatore alone.
The documentary, which is being made in Tamil and English, is to be used to create awareness in villages and educational institutions to involve various stakeholders in the mitigation measures.
It is jointly being made by NCS, and Environment Conservation Group, Cluster Film Institution, Lisin Media, Wildlife Photographer T.R. Arunthavaselvan and Coimbatore Division of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department at an approximate cost of Rs 10 lakhs.
NGOs and media houses have joined forces to document Human - Elephant Conflict (HEC) in Coimbatore, in an attempt to study HEC and thereby provide solutions for the same in the Coimbatore Forest Division.
The work that started last Saturday, would go on for 60 days and cover all the seven ranges in the division, including Coimbatore, Madukkarai, Boluvampati, Sirumugai, Mettupalayam, Periyanaickenpalayam and Karamadai.
The team of 20 people involved in the project would video and photo document various aspects of conflict, including the straying of wild elephants into populated areas, guiding operations of straying elephants, mitigation measures taken by the department and finding out possible HEC hotspots.
The team recently had discussions with Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest - Project Tiger Sekhar Niraj, Conservator of Forest of Coimbatore Circle S. Ramasubramaniam, District Forest Officer N. Satheesh and Coimbatore District Collector T.N. Hariharan.
According to N.I. Jalaluddin, President of Nature Conservation Society (NCS), the immediate objective of the team would be to document deaths of elephants and humans because of conflict. “While humans are killed directly by elephants, pachyderms indirectly fall prey to country-made bombs and get electrocuted by fences,“ he said. Compensation provided by the Department for the losses is also to be recorded.
He further added that when details like those are collected, it would be easier to understand the conflict situation in the division.
Coimbatore, being surrounded by forests on the western side, is also vulnerable to HEC as the number of deaths has skyrocketed in the last few years. According to department data, 23 elephants died in 2016. The number of human beings killed by elephants was also more than 10 last year.
This year alone, 17 elephants have died so far, with more than 50 per cent due to natural causes. More than 16 human beings have also been killed by elephants and more than 30 persons have been injured in Coimbatore alone.
The documentary, which is being made in Tamil and English, is to be used to create awareness in villages and educational institutions to involve various stakeholders in the mitigation measures.
It is jointly being made by NCS, and Environment Conservation Group, Cluster Film Institution, Lisin Media, Wildlife Photographer T.R. Arunthavaselvan and Coimbatore Division of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department at an approximate cost of Rs 10 lakhs.